As the coronavirus advances, Kingston’s bustle is being transformed into varying degrees of silence that gets earlier each night. The significantly reduced numbers of people and cars on the streets every day, and the near-zero cars on the road at nights tell their own story. Social activity has moved to social media and the coronavirus chronicles continue to mount.

Social distancing, self-isolation, self-quarantine are now part of the daily conversation. These terms each tell a story of degrees of physical separation from people that resonate with mental images from some long-forgotten Dean Koontz fiction of a global viral outbreak, or maybe from one of those apocalyptic movies that have become more frequent as this millennium advances.

But this is neither a novel nor a movie. Jamaica advanced into double digits of confirmed coronavirus cases late last week and the ante has been upped, or rather downed, on social interaction for Jamaicans. The less you have of it, the better.

Of all the things that strike me as the hardest, this new way of living, with almost no physical interaction, is harsh. We cannot even touch ourselves. I am sure you didn’t realise how many times a day you actually touch your face until you were mandated not to. And we should not touch others or stand too close to them, lest there is viral transmission.

Standing a good and proper “social-distancing”, three or more feet away from those in front and behind me in the pharmacy line earlier this week, I watched a corporate-looking young woman walk up to the other similarly attired young woman in the line and, hand outstretched, she touched her on her bare arm. “How are you?” she asked.

The other young woman, a safe social distance away from the rest of us in the line, smiled at her friend/colleague.

I looked on. And I’ve been looking on, from a safe distance behind these various screens, at the high-level meetings and press conferences called by our government officials. Aren’t they touching? Didn’t they?

The human need to touch is as old as time itself. Without even realising it, we are programmed to touch to reassure ourselves of our humanity, and that we are real. I am here. We touch to comfort another in emotional or physical pain, or to greet someone we like, love, or care about. There is the handshake, the hug, the kiss on cheek, the pat on the arm, or on the shoulder. Adults pat children on the head, though my mother would have none of it when we were young. People want to touch babies, squeeze them, kiss them, and some even pinch them. But, the coronavirus insistently reminds us that the touch is all but taboo. We must re-learn new ways of greeting that essentially separate us. Hard, but necessary as we navigate this new normal.

Yet, as Rene Descartes reminded us, cogito ergo sum – I think, therefore I am. We think ourselves into existence, and so our minds are still our most powerful tools in this strange, new time. We must use our minds to rethink our behaviours and our expectations in this new normal. We are rational humans, with powerful minds, and we will survive.

I see this as a time that has been gifted to all of us, so we must look for the positives. There is now a global focus on cleanliness and good hygiene at the micro and macro levels. Many are renewing their relationships with cleaning agents, while others have upgraded their connections with soap, bleach and water. Streets and markets are being cleaned. Homes are being sanitised. Taxi drivers are sanitising their vehicles. Everyone has some version of hand sanitiser close by. What is even more positive is that many are now evaluating their relationships. When all forms of personal distraction and entertainment outside of home spaces are closed off, and you are either pressed into the basics of work and home, or no work and only home, you are much more able to evaluate who is really in your corner. And you are also able to see more clearly whose corner you are in. Who is your family? Who are your friends? What really are your most valuable connections? Do you really have hobbies or were those just mindless distractions?

The closure of schools, the shutting down of entertainment venues, and the cancellation of major entertainment activities account for a significant change in the day-to-day lives of all Jamaicans at all levels. Wherever you are you are being encouraged by these times, some say forced, to go inward and to go back to self. You are being encouraged to examine your use of time. Some say they are bored — didn’t you realise how much time there can be in one single day? You are being encouraged to re-evaluate your choices, and how your once-regular daily patterns may or may not have served you well. You are being encouraged to reacquaint yourself with pastimes that may have become alien, such as spending quality time with your family, at home, together. You are being encouraged to be kind to those who are less fortunate, as the necessary outlay for supplies continues to decimate the dwindling or non-existent budgets of many. Yes, you are being encouraged to be still and find peace in the simple things.

There are many opportunities in this new normal, in this still and quiet time, when physical interaction outside of your home has become severely curtailed. You can clean out your closet and spring clean your home. Many of us have put off these tasks for a long time. Now is the time.

You can use up your online portals for more than just liking and sharing posts, sending memes and jokes, and forwarding those oversized videos of any and everything. You can learn a second language or learn how to cook a new meal online. Or just try out your hand at cooking something. You can catch up with friends or family members whom you have been unable to call or e-mail because of the hustle of your daily life. You can clear your personal e-mail backlog. You can update your LinkedIn page. You can write that proposal you have been drafting in your head for so long. You can plant some flowers, or lay out a garden. Maybe you can begin writing that book?

If you have been trying to get some rest, now is the time. Your business activity may have slowed down significantly. You will not be called out to attend any functions or gatherings whether personal or work-related. For those whose children are now home, you can help them with their schoolwork. Well, you will more than likely have to, even if they are able to get their lessons via some online method. And, you will definitely have more contact time with them. Brace yourself. Maybe you can work out a daily schedule of activities for your younger children to ensure that they are fully occupied. Yes, you can work, exercise, and rest. And you can re-evaluate your spiritual connections. Be still.

In all of this, whatever your circumstance, please dig deep for the positives and seek out the opportunities. Many who live alone or have limited financial resources are anxious. Others who have pre-existing conditions may be worried, or are worried about a family member with one of these conditions. Be still, stay positive, and keep close to home, however humble; and remain as level-headed and as pragmatic as you can in this new normal.

Donna P Hope, PhD, is professor of culture, gender and society at The University of the West Indies. Send comments to the Observer or dqueen13@hotmail.com.