WHAT IS SOCIAL DISTANCING?

  

Governments across the state and nation are asking citizens to implement proper social distancing to stop the spread of COVID-19, but some people are unsure of what social distancing actually is.

Officials from Johns Hopkins Medicine say social distancing is “deliberately increasing the physical space between people to avoid spreading illness”.  They say staying at least six feet away from other people lessens the chances of catching the virus.

Social distancing involves remaining out of congregate settings, avoiding mass gatherings, and generally maintaining distance whenever possible to limit the ability of the virus to spread.

Examples of social distancing, provided by Johns Hopkins Medicine, include: working from home instead of at an office, closing schools or switching to online classes, visiting with loved ones through electronic devices instead of visiting in person, and cancelling or postponing large meetings and conferences.

Social distancing is not the same as self-quarantine or isolation, two other practices being utilized to minimize the spread of COVID-19.

The key difference is that a quarantine or isolation restricts the movement of people within a certain area or zone to limit transferring and spreading an infection.  Social distancing places no such locational constraints, and is instead a behavioral practice to lower the risk in most circumstances.

To learn more about social distancing, self-quarantine, and isolation, go online to www.hopkinsmedicine.org.