Nations reopen yet struggle to define 'a new normal'

ROME (AP) — As nations around the world loosen coronavirus restrictions, people are discovering that “the new normal” is anything but.

Yet some realities have emerged: schools, offices, public transport, bars and restaurants are now on the front lines of post-lockdown life.

How each of those key sectors manages social distancing and tamps down on expected new outbreaks will determine the shape of daily life for millions as researchers race to develop a vaccine that is still likely months, if not years, away from being available to all.

What a return to normal looks like varies widely. For hungry migrant workers in India, it was finally being able to catch trains back to their home villages to farm while city jobs dried up. For cruise ship workers stranded at sea for months, it was finally reaching shore in Croatia. For wealthy shoppers in Maseratis and Rolls-Royces, it was returning to the newly reopened boutiques of America’s iconic Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills.

In Italy, where good food is an essential part of life itself, once-packed restaurants and cafes are facing a huge financial hit as they reopen with strict social distancing rules. The losses are forecast to pile up to 30 billion euros ($32 billion) this year.

“We have to turn upside down all the activity that we did before,” lamented chef Raffaele di Cristo, who now must wear a mask and latex gloves as he prepares food at the popular Corsi Trattoria in Rome. “Everything is changed. Slowly, slowly, we will try to understand and to adapt to this coronavirus.”

Corsi reopened for business Monday with half its tables removed to ensure the mandated 1-meter (3-foot) spacing between tables and customers. Hand sanitizing gel was placed at the entrance and a new ordering system was installed so customers can read the menu on their phones instead of...