Social distancing is an extremely crucial containment measure in preventing the spread of Covid-19 among a population.
This is especially so for places with a high population density, like Singapore for instance.
The further away you are from other humans, the less likely you are to contract the illness from them.
In fact, it’s proven to work; watch this video and you’d understand:
So yes, it’s time to take those crossed-out seats in restaurants and boxes in elevators more seriously if you aren’t already doing so.
Meanwhile, other places around the world have also enforced strict social distancing measures, such as New York.
And if you still think the Government is enforcing social distancing for show…
Social Distancing Is Working In New York
New York has the highest number of coronavirus cases among any other U.S. state, with over 39,000 confirmed cases.
Although their numbers are high, the good news is that the state is starting to show tentative signs of slowing down the spread of the disease.
Andrew Mark Cuomo, governor of New York, said on Wednesday, 25 Mar, that the rate of hospitalisations in New York has slowed in recent days. He even called it “almost too good to be true”.
However, he also said that there was still a lot more work to be done.
This improvement is a sign that social distance measures in the state are working.
“The evidence suggests that the density control measures may be working,” said Mr Cuomo at a news conference on Wednesday.
He mentioned how the number of hospitalisations, which was doubling every two days on Sunday, is now doubling nearly every five days.
He also talked about how Westchester County, which had the first few cases of the virus in New York, has seen a significant decrease in the number of new infections.
“Density-Control” Measures, Stay At Home Order In NYC
New York City, which is home to more than 8 million people, took a number of “density-control” (i.e. social distancing) measures to stop the spread of the virus.
This includes closing certain public streets to vehicles and opening them instead to pedestrians, to allow more space for foot traffic and greater “social distancing” to avoid infections.
Mr Cuomo also said that they would ban basketball and other contact sports in public parks, urging all citizens to comply with these measures.
He issued a statewide stay at home order on Sunday, 22 Mar, which requires all New York residents to work from home unless they are an essential worker in stopping the spread of the coronavirus.
All restaurants and bars throughout the city are only allowed to offer takeaway or delivery services.
New York was one of the first few states in the U.S. to close all non-essential businesses and direct residents to stay home as much as possible.
Although Mr Cuomo acknowledges that the social distancing measures are helping the situation to improve, he also said that they are “still on the way up the mountain”.
More U.S. States Taking Strict Measures
However, another problem that they face is that many New Yorkers have already fled the city, and some of them have the potential to infect others in less hard-hit areas.
“Everybody who was in New York should be self-quarantining for the next 14 days to ensure that the virus doesn’t spread to others, no matter where they have gone, whether it’s Florida, North Carolina, or out to the far, far reaches of Long Island,” said Dr Deborah Birx, the White House’s coronavirus response coordinator.
While more states join New York in encouraging its residents to stay home and practise social distancing, President Trump hopes to “reopen America for business” soon, although advised otherwise by his health advisors.
The U.S. has already surpassed China and is now the country with the most number of coronavirus cases, with over 85,000 cases. It has a total of 1,293 deaths while 1,868 patients have recovered and been discharged.
So, if you’re still complaining about why you should be jailed for sitting too close to your crush, you now know the reason behind this drastic measure.
Here’s a simplified summary of the South Korea martial law that even a 5-year-old would understand:
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