The 3 things I'll consider the 'new normal' when I start riding public transportation again after coronavirus

• I've wondered how I'll start riding public transportation differently when I need to start commuting again.
• I've always considered myself a health-conscious person while riding public transportation, but I've come to realize that this "caution" only came in the form of washing my hands after every subway trip.
• I'll likely start riding the subway and buses differently while living in post-pandemic New York City.
• This includes not being on my phone as much during a subway or bus ride, carrying hand sanitizer with me, biking and walking more, and increasing my situational awareness.
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When the initial reports of coronavirus first arrived in my home, New York City, I started adopting healthier habits while riding pre-quarantine public transit that I probably should have started doing years before.

But now that I'm stuck at home, I often wonder how I'll start going about my day-to-day life again, whenever that may be, while I wait for some sense of normalcy to return. These endless hours of thinking about the coronavirus' impact on our daily lives have led me to realize that I will likely never ride public transportation in New York City the same way again.

I acknowledge that having these fears puts me in a place of privilege: I'm lucky to be able to work from home in a cozy living room, hunched over my laptop for work, while nurses, doctors, and essential workers are facing the challenges of coronavirus head-on.

But eventually, I'll need to return to using public transit to move around my city. There are multuple reports that thousands of Metropolitan Transportation Authority workers in New York City have fallen ill from coronavirus — with several transit employees reporting that they feel like they've been treated like "expendable" workers. I'm worried about the MTA's handling of the coronavirus in the face of its transportation systems, but more importantly, its workers. More personally, this new but deeply-ingrained fear means I'll likely never ride the subway or buses the same way again.

The MTA has been disinfecting its stations twice daily, according to a statement on March 11.

The MTA has started shutting down overnight services on subways between 1 am and 5 am so trains can be properly disinfected.

Despite these precautionary efforts by the MTA, I've been making an effort to avoid the subway now that I'm working from home and don't need to travel around the city. Towards the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic's arrival in the US, I wrote a list of tips on how to stay safe on public transportation according to several experts. While this article was intended for the pre-lockdown subway riders, I've since taken these tips to heart.

Before sitting down to write this, I questioned what I would and wouldn't realistically be able to do differently when riding public transportation again in the future.

For example, I wish I could always have a napkin on hand to use as a barrier between my hand and the subway poles and railings. However, I don't want to waste paper every time I take a public transit ride, nor do I think I'll always have a stack of napkins on hand.

And while experts say it's important to stay away from public transportation during rush hour, I likely won't be able to.

However, there are several things that I know I can, and will, do.

I had the tendency of zoning out while on subway and bus rides until I reached my final destination.

Going forward, however, I plan on actually having situational awareness, which includes moving away from coughing people, if possible.

A part of this increased situational awareness means limiting phone use on the train, which is another habit I'll likely pick up while riding public transit.

I've always known that cell phones harbor a sea of germs, but never truly considered it a coronavirus vessel until I penned my "tips for safe transit rides" article.

While one expert, Carol Shoshkes Reiss, professor of biology, neural science, and public health at New York University, claimed it should be safe to use your phone on transit unless someone coughs directly onto it, several experts have advised against using personal mobile devices while riding public transit.

For me, this means keeping my phone in my pocket or purse, even if I'm still using it. I used to listen to news podcasts on my morning commute, and would shuffle my curated Spotify playlists on my commute back home at night. Knowing exactly what content I want to consume before heading to the subway means I can queue up my preferred podcast and playlist before I even step foot into the station, and keep my phone out of my hands.

But if I do need to use my phone on the subway or bus, I'll sanitize it the moment I'm back home.

I'll also continue carrying around a miniature hand sanitizer bottle in my purse. But I'll also use public transit less, and bike more.

I'll still, of course, continue my post-subway ride hand-washing rule. But using hand sanitizer while I'm out grocery shopping and picking up food has felt like a security blanket. Having access to a sanitizing agent before I can reach soap and water eases my worries about potentially catching and spreading coronavirus before I can wash it away.

But in general, when possible, I'll probably start taking public transportation less.

Since quarantine has started, I've found myself renting Citi Bikes more often to take leisurely bike rides, with masks on of course, around the city with the self-proclaimed avid Citi Bikes fan that I'm currently quarantined with. This is likely a habit that I'll take into my post-quarantine life.

Bike rides to work, bike rides for fun, and bike rides to dinner with friends instead of taking a rideshare or the subway.

This is especially important because I likely won't be able to avoid rush hour while commuting, a tip many experts gave during the start of the pandemic to avoid the virus. So why stand in a packed subway if I can bike to and from work instead?

Of course, there's no telling what I'll truly do differently until I'm back riding public transportation every day again. But thinking ahead of what I'll do when I "re-enter society" helps calm the anxiety I feel while lockdown continues.