I’ve tried to avoid writing about COVID-19 because there are bigger and better publications doing it (and doing it better than I ever could). But I wanted to share something I found interesting for me and could be for you.
By now, you’ll have heard of the term “social distancing”. It relates to the reduction of social interaction in order to reduce the spread of COVID-19. That means things like not congregating in crowded public spaces (eg. coffee shops, book stores, shopping malls, city centres) and avoiding public transport but only if you can. Many people still have to work and aren’t in a position to avoid such environments so it’s pointless to tell them to cut that out when there isn’t an alternative (stupid capitalism).
Above is a video made by FiveThirtyEight which gives an answer to the question “what does ‘social distancing’ mean?”. FiveThirtyEight’s Senior Science Writer, Maggie Koerth gave her views on social distancing and what she has been doing.
I have a son and I’ve struggled with what to do when I’ve not had him as we don’t live together. The video reassured me and confirmed some of the things I was already doing were correct (not being around loads of people, basically).
And it’s something we should all do. So if you’re reading, and you don’t have to be out and about… stay in.