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What is the 'new normal'? What the future holds after COVID-19 vaccine

East Texas experts weighed in on what life will look like after the COVID-19 pandemic is over.

TYLER, Texas — With restaurants, movie theaters and now salons reopening, people are starting to wonder what life is going to be like after we've developed a vaccine for COVID-19.

RELATED: REOPENING TEXAS: Salons, barber shops can reopen May 8 with strict guidelines; gyms, workout facilities may reopen May 18

The phrase "new normal" is constantly getting tossed around, but how "new" will life be after social distancing be?

"I think it's contingent on whether the new normal includes having a virus that we're concerned about because if we don't, I bet the new normal is pretty much the old normal," said Tom Guderjan, chairman of the Social Sciences department at the University of Texas at Tyler. 

Also an anthropologist, Guderjan says throughout history, humans have had to be isolated for one reason or another and respond the same way after that period of isolation is over. 

"I have friends and loved ones who I speak with, I email with, I text with and I want to hug them and say 'Good to see you're okay,'" said Guderjan. "I think that, that need is going to be very much played out by by all of us. We all have friends and family that we're not seeing."

RELATED: Start of May brings reopenings from coronavirus around the world

However medical experts say not everything will return to the way it was. 

Dr. Scott Smith, Senior Vice President at CHRISTUS Health Clinic says there will be several safety measures that we all should keep doing. 

"I think the new normal will include being more attuned to hand washing and personal hygiene when you're out in public places, airplanes, stadiums, restaurants, all of that," Dr. Smith said. 

Smith says though he thinks it is fine for everyone to be back out and about during this time, it is important that we continue to wear masks in public and keep up with social distancing guidelines. 

"The new normal is still not yet known but we're learning," Dr. Smith explained. "As we're learning, we're learning that we do need to be safer when we're out and about by paying attention to what we touch using good hand hygiene and  social distancing."

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