OPTIMISING CONSTRAINTS OF ‘CAVE SYNDROME’ FEAR OF COMING BACK TO NORMALITY

At the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, people found it to be challenging to deal with what was called the new normal. However, soon they got used to it and recognised some of its advantages. Many started to see some hidden opportunities in this pandemic, especially was a good experience to re-evaluate lifestyle and take the best of it. As many governments and institutes are starting to adapt to the new normal, the fear of getting back to many pre-pandemic life norms and routines is very high. This paper investigates the type of fears, as a result of going back to normality, by using the method of integrative study. The type of fear is specified in order to define mechanisms for its alleviation. The recommendation here is to create balanced solutions or environments that compensate for the need for pre- and post-pandemic routines or resilient transformation plans. However, this recommendation needs to be piloted in different communities and in a different environment to overcome the limitations of its practicality, taking into consideration the variations of fear according to the demographics and the functionality.