Physical (Social) Distancing

Why is physical (social) distancing important and what are we trying to accomplish?  

The term social distancing has been used with the COVID-19 outbreak symbolically to stop the spread of the virus. The World Health Organization (WHO) has recently tried to be more concise by using the term physical distancing, which isn’t about breaking contact with your friends and family — but rather keeping a physical distance to make sure the disease doesn’t spread. 

What is not being said!  

Ultimately, the goal of physical distancing is to reduce the spread of the virus amongst everyone, with an emphasis on those in a high-risk category. However, physical distancing does not just apply when you are actively out and about. Physical distancing must be applied as part of your lifestyle to be effective. This does not mean to avoid the people you live with. What it does mean is to avoid contact with high-risk people and minimize any unnecessary contact with others.  

For example, if you are only going to and from work but a member of your family is out and about all day with their five friends you are now exposed to everyone those five friends and families encountered over the past fourteen days.  

Simply put, allowing anyone individual in your close circle of daily contact to have unnecessary contact with others moves not only them but you, from low risk to high risk and worse. Which in turn now places everyone you are in contact with at high-risk.    

Reducing physical contact and observing physical distancing is not easy. However, it is the right thing to do for the people we care about! It is also our societal obligation! Let people know you really care about them by using your phone to call them rather than visiting them in person.   

Other good reads are Wikipedia Social Distancing