Being immersed in the worst pandemic that has occurred in our environment for a century and, right now, with a cluster of outbreaks emerging throughout the country, talk of Covid-19 and protocol may seem, perhaps, frivolous or superficial. But nothing could be further from the truth.

In spite of the viral "earthquake" we are suffering, our official, working and staff life must go on. The coronavirus has not been invited to our community. It has presented itself and its presence, unfortunately, is radically disrupting the interaction schemes and gestural expressions that, as humans, we have generated to show and express our emotions in society. And, even if we do not want to, we are forced to make room for the "invader" in the protocol of our reality.

As the philosopher Byung-Chul Han points out in his recently published book The Disappearance of Rituals, rituals are symbolic actions that unite individuals and give cohesion to society. "Rituals give stability to life" points out the South Korean thinker, and that is the secret that takes on a deeper and more transcendental meaning in this "new normal". In these months, the cabinets of protocol of the Presidency of the Government and the Royal House, paradigmatic examples of good protocol in our country, are teaching us daily through the various events that take place how, despite the coronavirus, life goes on and must continue because otherwise the economic and social crisis generated can be much deeper.

The safety distance that keeps people away and the use of masks that cancels the vision of the expressions, are necessary sanitary measures that cannot amputate the communicative expression of individuals and institutions. They are an obstacle, it is true, but it is a new status that is demanding us to generate alternatives, under the security of precautions, to continue maintaining the communication links with our environment.

On a labor scale, the appearance of the virus has caused a very hard blow in the global business fabric and has provoked, therefore, a readjustment in professional relations. In our conceptual universe, a new word such as ERTE has appeared and teleworking has become widespread in those sectors that have had the possibility and the means at their disposal. However, despite the democratization of the "virtual worker" and the proliferation of virtual meetings, for certain issues and management scales, face-to-face meetings are still necessary.

In this sense, an obvious example is the resumption, at the beginning of June, of the full meetings of the committee of Ministers. Despite being far from having the pandemic under control worldwide and the possibility of telematic or semi-presential meetings, the presence of the Executive's activity to get out of the storm conveys confidence in the de-escalation and in the "new normality". The meetings of the committee every Tuesday - and the extraordinary councils held on some Fridays - are held with all the precautions and health safety measures required, which, from now on, will have to be taken into account when organizing meetings. What aspects will have to be considered?

1. Space. The conference room where the meeting will be developed should be ventilated and have the possibility of natural ventilation through windows. Antibacterial gel dispensers should be placed at the entrance to conference room and at conference room . We will have to assess whether the conference room that we have normally used for this purpose complies with the requirements of the new status.

2. The table. It will be large enough to seat the attendees at meeting while maintaining a safe distance. Apart from the necessary documentation prepared, each attendee will have a glass of water and a pitcher for his or her own use. Another possibility, which many organizations will look at, will be the use of individual water bottles. Although their use may be more practical, since we avoid the need for cleaning, let us not forget that their internship is more polluting, apart from the fact that the glass and the pitcher make the scenography of the meeting more aesthetically pleasing.

3. Use of masks. Although it is uncomfortable -and it has also become a brand and image communicator-, its use is mandatory and necessary in closed spaces with attendance of non-cohabiting individuals.

4. Cleaning. It will be necessary to clean the conference room and the table before and after use for a meeting. Same procedure for the glasses and water jugs used.

5. Greetings. This is one of the aspects that most affects our way of relating to each other and that sometimes -and generating comical situations- we have to remind each other. Accustomed to the closeness of the handshake, the kiss or the hug, the new health reality demands new forms of greeting that, in principle, are colder (greeting with the look, raising the hand...) although we can also make them fun as the "collision" of elbows that can break the ice before a meeting.

6. Coffee-break/lunch: in any meeting with a certain duration, a break time can be foreseen in which, in a space of the conference room, in a separate conference room or in the entrance of the conference room a coffee service can be set up. I consider that, in spite of the "new normal", this service can still be used with all the established sanitary measures in order to have a snack during the break. But we must be clear that the break will not be used to interact with other attendees as we have traditionally done in this subject breaks.

In conclusion, the "new normality" demands new habits in human relations that, a few months ago, were unimaginable in our western societies. Even so, and with new elements and new norms, the ritual must continue.