Anant, literally, you can think of a "new normal" as being a state of equilibrium after experiencing substantial changes in the environment. So it's more of a reality than being a choice people have made.

Look here: http://baike.baidu.com/link?url=G2RVqs-yDb41NzWZ_LgbNKh4mkg98e8uqyE5jLY8nRtPd0FFjmkrhjugVo0z3pW0TdfMtyOrcs_hBkt6Nnd5u0ENl6rIpdmNOKMX6uGZ5wGo0kCdU5LmXh3mq5GWyKvf

Wow, it's a really hard question! Most Chinese don't know it, either. Though my major is fanance, I still can't understand that. Maybe you can say something about your own ideas.

这问题这有难度，找个政治老师给你讲讲吧，也许那些考研的学生能讲清楚，或者那些天天在家看电视的退休干部能给你讲清楚。

Basically, it means after changing bad regulations and habits into better ones, keep it as a new standard and not coming back.