Social distancing
Social distancing, also less confusingly called physical distancing is one way to help stop the spread of infection from viruses and bacteria between people. The goal is to lower the chance for an infection to spread from person to person. This can reduce the number of infected people at one time, which lowers the burden on health care. By lowering the number of people who get sick, lives can also be saved.[1][2]
Social distancing works for infections that are spread by droplets (cough or sneeze), physical contact, contaminated surfaces, or in the air.[3] Social distancing does not work well for infections that are spread through food, water, or insects.[4]
Types of social distancing are:
- closing schools[5][6][7]
- closing places of work[8]
- isolation
- quarantine[9]
- cordon sanitaire
- protective sequestration
- canceling gatherings of people, such as sports or entertainment shows[10]
- travel restrictions[11]
- closing gyms, pools, or other such areas
- encouraging people to stay at home
- asking people to keep a certain distance between each other if they do need to interact
All of these may have negative effects on people.[12][13][14] However, these may be preferred to the effects of a specific disease.
Social Distancing Media
- Social distancing queueing for the supermarket J. Sainsbury's north London Coronavirus Covid 19 pandemic - 30 March 2020.jpg
People socially distancing while queuing to enter a supermarket in London during the COVID-19 pandemic
- 20200609 Effect of pandemic containment measures.gif
Without social distancing and other pandemic containment measures, pathogens can spread exponentially. This graphic shows how early adoption of containment measures tends to protect wider swaths of the population.
- Social distancing video by California State Parks.ogg
A video explaining social distancing from the California Department of Parks and Recreation.
- 20200403 Flatten the curve animated GIF.gif
Social distancing helps prevent a sharp peak of infections ("flattens the epidemic curve") to help healthcare services deal with demand, and extends time for healthcare services to be increased and improved.
- Swineflu uk hpa model.svg
Swine flu cases per week in the United Kingdom in 2009; schools typically close for summer in mid-July and re-open in early September.
- Socially distanced street party for the 75th Anniversary of VE Day, Montagu Road, Wetherby (8th May 2020) 003.jpg
VE Day celebrations in 2020 took place under lockdown; here a socially distanced street party is taking place on Hallfield Estate, Wetherby.
- Parties Despite Influenza.png
An article naming wealthy socialites for violating city law banning public gatherings, Chicago Tribune, October 19, 1918. Named violators include Joan Pinkerton Chalmers, daughter of Pinkertons private police founder Allan Pinkerton.
- Katapult importance social distancing.gif
Simulations comparing rate of spread of infection, and number of deaths due to overrun of hospital capacity, when social interactions are "normal" (left, 200 people moving freely) and "distanced" (right, 25 people moving freely).Green = Healthy, uninfected individualsRed = Infected individualsBlue = Recovered individualBlack = Dead individuals
References
- ↑ Johnson, Carolyn Y.; Sun, Lena; Freedman, Andrew (2020-03-10). Social distancing could buy U.S. valuable time against coronavirus. https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/03/10/social-distancing-coronavirus/. Retrieved 2020-03-11.
- ↑ Pandemic Planning – Social Distancing Fact Sheet
- ↑ "Information about Social Distancing" Archived 2020-03-27 at the Wayback Machine, Santa Clara Public Health Department.
- ↑ "Interim Pre-Pandemic Planning Guidance: Community Strategy for Pandemic Influenza Mitigation in the United States—Early, Targeted, Layered Use of Nonpharmaceutical Interventions", CDC, February 2007
- ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Identifiers at line 630: attempt to index field 'known_free_doi_registrants_t' (a nil value).
- ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Identifiers at line 630: attempt to index field 'known_free_doi_registrants_t' (a nil value).
- ↑ Walsh, Eric, ed. (20 July 2009) (in en). Closing schools won't stop pandemics: study. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-flu-schools-idUSTRE56J4OO20090720. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
- ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Identifiers at line 630: attempt to index field 'known_free_doi_registrants_t' (a nil value).
- ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Identifiers at line 630: attempt to index field 'known_free_doi_registrants_t' (a nil value).
- ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Identifiers at line 630: attempt to index field 'known_free_doi_registrants_t' (a nil value).
- ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Identifiers at line 630: attempt to index field 'known_free_doi_registrants_t' (a nil value).
- ↑ Zumla, Alimuddin; Yew, Wing-Wai; Hui, David S. C. (2010). Emerging Respiratory Infections in the 21st Century, An Issue of Infectious Disease Clinics. Vol. 24. Elsevier Health Sciences. p. 614. ISBN 978-1-4557-0038-7.
- ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Identifiers at line 630: attempt to index field 'known_free_doi_registrants_t' (a nil value).
- ↑ Emily Arntsen, "Closing borders can delay, but can't stop the spread of COVID-19, new report says", News@Northeastern, March 6, 2020.
Other websites
Media related to Social distancing at Wikimedia Commons- Harry Stevens, "Why outbreaks like coronavirus spread exponentially, and how to 'flatten the curve'" Archived 2020-03-19 at the Wayback Machine, The Washington Post, 14 March 2020, "These simulations show how to flatten the coronavirus growth curve"
