To stop the spread of coronavirus, health officials have instructed the public to practice social distancing -- staying home, avoiding crowds and refraining from touching one another.
What Is Social Distancing?
Social distancing puts space between people. When people who are infected with the virus stay away from others, they can't pass it to anyone else. This way, fewer people get sick at the same time.
Social distancing is important because COVID-19 is most likely to spread from person-to-person through direct close contact with a person while they are infectious or in the 24 hours, before their symptoms appeared, close contact with a person with a confirmed infection who coughs or sneezes, or touching objects or surfaces (such as door handles or tables) contaminated from a cough or sneeze from a person with confirmed infection, and then touching your mouth or face.
What can I do?
Social distancing can be done in different ways, depending on how many people in the community are sick.
Social distancing methods include closing schools, restaurants, shops, movie theaters, and other places where people gather, not getting together in person with friends, not going to stores unless it is necessary, working from home, not taking public transportation, including buses, subways, taxis, and rideshares. Keep your family home and away from others as much as possible.
Don't have friends and extended family over, and don't go to their homes. People who look healthy still can be infected and can spread the virus. That's why it's important to stay away from everyone, even if they don't seem sick. If you have to go out, make sure you are at least 2 meters away from other people.
Viruses can spread when someone sneezes or coughs out tiny droplets. These droplets don't usually travel more than 6 feet before falling to the ground.
If you are sick, stay away from others –that is the most important thing you can do. You should also practice good hand and sneeze/cough hygiene: wash your hands frequently with soap and water, before and after eating, and after going to the toilet cover your cough and sneeze, dispose of tissues, and use alcohol-based hand sanitizer, and if unwell, avoid contact with others.
As well as these, you can start a range of social distancing and low-cost hygiene actions now. These simple, common-sense actions help reduce risk to you and others. They will help to slow the spread of disease in the community–and you can use them every day –in your home, workplace, school and while out in public.
It's not a good idea to visit a gym. At home, you can download exercise videos or apps and follow their instructions -- they're usually designed with minimal equipment in mind.
Social Distancing at Home Households
To reduce the spread of germs: practice good hand and sneeze/cough hygiene. Avoid handshaking and kissing. Regularly disinfect high touch surfaces, such as tables, kitchen benches, and doorknobs. Increase ventilation in the home by opening windows or adjusting air conditioning. Visit shops sparingly and buy more goods and services online. Consider whether outings and travel, both inpidual and family, are sensible and necessary.
Care for the sick person in a single room if possible. Keep the number of carers to a minimum. Keep the door to the sick person’s room closed and, if possible, a window open. Both the sick person and the people caring for them should wear a surgical mask when they are in the same room.
Protect other vulnerable family members, such as people over 65 years or people with a chronic illness, including, if practicable, finding alternative accommodation.
Family & Friends
Social distancing does not mean social isolation. It's really important we maintain our social connections. Adults over 60 are at a higher risk of serious infection from Covid-19, and you could unwittingly infect them.
The best thing older adults can do is stay home and away from others as much as possible. Keep in touch with them over the phone or with video calls. If they live nearby, offer to help them with groceries or medications they may need while home.
But distancing yourself doesn't mean you have to be lonely. Instead, host video hangouts with friends or call them regularly.
Do I need to distance myself from my child? Probably not, unless either if you are showing symptoms of sickness.
Under most circumstances, if you and your child are living in the same home, you don't need to keep six feet of distance. But if possible, limit excessive physical contact.
Social Distancing in The Workplace
To reduce the spread of germs in the workplace: Stay at home if you are sick. Stop handshaking as a greeting. Hold meetings via video conferencing or phone calls.
Defer large meetings. Hold essential meetings outside in the open air if possible. Promote good hand and sneeze/cough hygiene and provide hand sanitizers for all staff and workers.
Take lunch at your desk or outside rather than in the lunchroom. Clean and disinfect high touch surfaces regularly.
Consider opening windows and adjusting air conditioning for more ventilation. Limit food handling and sharing of food in the workplace.
Reconsider non-essential business travel. Promote the strictest hygiene among food preparation (canteen) staff and their close contacts. Consider if large gatherings can be rescheduled, staggered or canceled.
Why Are Schools Closing if Kids Aren't Sick?
With the coronavirus, kids don't seem to get as sick as adults. But infected kids can still spread the virus to people who could become seriously ill. Closing schools protect everyone in a community.
You Can Still Be Social
The official phrase is "social distancing," but it can help to think of it as "physical distancing" instead. We can still be social, just in different ways. Take advantage of social media and video apps to support each other, laugh together, and take care of each other until the virus is under control.
People should not go to places like movie theaters or restaurants, or group events and sports activities. Being away from friends, extended family, and social activities can be hard on teens and kids. To help them stay connected, you might set up FaceTime or Skype visits. You also can plan family activities.
If people do come into your home, make sure that everyone washes their hands when they arrive and leave. Also, clean surfaces that get touched a lot (like doorknobs) before and after visits.
Can I Go to The Grocery Store?
The grocery store is one of the few public places you can still go to. Go to the store when you suspect fewer people will be shopping. This could be early in the morning. Make sure to thoroughly wash fruits and veggies after you buy them, and wash your hands after touching boxes and before eating.
You Can Still Order Takeout and Delivery
There's no evidence that the virus can live in food, so whatever you eat should be safe. Disinfect the takeout containers and wash your hands afterward.
Ordering takeout also helps restaurants and delivery drivers who may be losing money during the pandemic. We suggest paying and tipping online and asking the delivery person to leave your food outside the door to avoid the interaction.
It may be possible that a person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their mouth, nose or possibly their eyes, but this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads. If you wash your hands between touching the surface and your face, you’re good.
Should I Use Public Transportation?
If you can avoid it, you should. Packing into a crowded, poorly ventilated subway car or bus can heighten your risk of infection. If you need to use public transportation to get to work, carry disinfecting wipes to clean seats and poles, and wash your hands as soon as your commute is over. Restaurants, places of worship, movie theaters, sports venues, museums and more have already started closing. Save a trip to these places until government and health officials say it's safe to visit.
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