No one is even talking about “normalcy” anymore, much less how we get there. Today, we have settled into a false consensus about what “normalcy” is.

Among the expert classes and the governments responsive to them, the discourse has moved on from vaccination rates among adults to vaccination rates among very young children. It has devolved into collegial deliberation over the efficacy of vaccination mandates, the pace at which Americans are getting vaccination boosters, and whether the quasi-legal status “fully vaccinated” needs to be amended to exclude those with only one or two shots. Save a few exceptions that prove the rule, charming concepts such as “normalcy” and “off-ramps” are absent from the elite conversation around this virus.

Meanwhile, communities farther removed from this false consensus have established their own equilibrium. Masking never returned to these communities at rates that preceded the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s abrupt about-face on the value of post-vaccination interventions like surgical masks. The social stigma around ignoring the CDC’s recommendations has melted away. Local businesses and national chains alike no longer enforce mandates. Municipal facilities, gyms, athletic venues, and even childcare facilities do not present these Americans with a constant reminder of the ongoing public health emergency. With the notable and onerous exception of schools, the pandemic’s demands on these citizens are endurably minimal.