What Does Social Distancing Mean?

I understand the importance of avoiding large groups of people to protect against corona virus capture, but I am not clear about “social distancing” and who should apply it.

Social distance means leaving at least six feet between you and other people.

The less contact you have with others, the lower your chances of getting infected. Social distance is recommended for healthy people who are not exposed to viruses. It differs from “self-quarantine”, a precaution for people who believe they are exposed. Self-quarantine takes two weeks, usually the time it takes for symptoms to appear. “Self-isolation” applies to people who have tested positive for the virus or who have been suspected and infected, and those who are hospitalized and whose cases are stable enough to go home.

Research has shown that people who look healthy and feel healthy can carry the virus and infect others. It is best to avoid public transport and social gatherings, if possible. It is also recommended to work at home. None of this means that you have to isolate yourself indoors. As long as you are six meters away from other people and are likely to touch common surfaces (door handles, shopping cart handles, stair railing, etc.), there is no reason not to go out. ). Be sure to wash your hands when you return home.

The federal government calls on seniors and those with lung or heart conditions to keep a weak immune system or other serious health problems away from home and others because the elderly are at risk of developing serious disease from the corona virus.

In an article for USA Today,

professors Marc Lipsitch and Joseph Allen of Harvard T.H. Chan Public Health School wrote that “physical distance” might be a better term than “social distance” because the goal is to leave physically, not emotionally. For many reasons, they state that it is not possible to be 100 percent physically separated – “keeping food on the table and in the cupboard, preserving the foundations of the society, and maintaining mental health”. However, it means non-urgent previous work, as well as domestic social visits that can be done by phone or by Facetime.

New research shows that many infections in China are not recognized because the symptoms are mild, limited, or never occur, but affected people can spread the virus. If this is the case here, those who believe they are at low risk may be using the outbreak.