The world is currently going through a pandemic – on March 11, 2020, the COVID-19 outbreak was declared a pandemic by the WHO (World Health Organization). Since then, a lot of things have changed: many schools have closed around the world, concerts are being canceled, sports leagues have stopped their activities (even the Olympics have been postponed), stores have closed down and restaurants only do delivery or pick up – for now. Some countries, such as Italy or France, are in complete lockdown. All of this is happening so we can slow the spread of the virus; these measures taken are to help us practice social distancing more effectively. In a nutshell, social distancing is when we stay far enough from each other or limit unnecessary contact so a pathogen cannot spread as fast as it would.
Why is social distancing important?
Social distancing is important because, as I said earlier, it slows the spread of the virus. Additionally, it prevents the contamination of high-risk people, including the elderly, people with compromised immune systems or people with underlying health issues. Even though some of us might not get sick from Covid-19, we can still be vectors and infect high-risk people; so social distancing is not only to keep ourselves healthy but is also a way to keep people we care about and those who could be in more danger than we are healthy.
Through social distancing, we can “flatten the curve”. What does this mean? Well, the curve is the projected number of people who could get infected with the virus over a period of time. Curves have different shapes depending on how fast the virus spreads. If a virus spreads fast, the peak of the curve could be reached in a few weeks. If the peak is reached, dealing with the virus becomes impossible for the healthcare system as there are not enough hospitals, supplies or staff to manage the demand. Sick people will not be taken care of and hospital staff will become even more overwhelmed than they already are.
So social distancing is essential for us to stay healthy and for the people around us to stay healthy. Through this distancing, we can help the medical staff, so they’ll be able to take care of their patients. We should not be selfish right now – we need to care about others and stay home.