After the governmental response to COVID-19 in the United States led to the shutdown of the economy, restaurants and shops in some counties and states are beginning to re-open at partial capacity. As some of us venture out of our homes to begin the gradual return to something more "normal," it is important to keep in mind that this is not business as usual.
For a myriad of reasons, everyone's baseline stress level is higher right now than before the pandemic and shutdown began. As a result, it's important to behave more similarly to a traveler in another country, trying to be courteous and respectful, than as someone who expects an experience out to be efficient and customized to a specific set of wants.
To illustrate with an example, restaurant staff is having to take on responsibilities they never could have expected, and they are likely to be dealing with a wide range of different concerns, from being in high-contact environments to uncertainty about the future. Not only do we, as guests, need to be kind, as we were before, but we should also try to be additionally sensitive about making modifications or requests that before would have seemed trivial but now may be significant micro-stressors.