{"id":18609,"date":"2020-03-08T12:46:25","date_gmt":"2020-03-08T17:46:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thepapergown.zocdoc.com\/?p=18609"},"modified":"2023-03-21T14:59:34","modified_gmt":"2023-03-21T19:59:34","slug":"what-to-know-about-social-distancing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/what-to-know-about-social-distancing\/","title":{"rendered":"What to Know About ‘Social Distancing’"},"content":{"rendered":"

The information included in this article was current as of publication, however, information changes rapidly regarding Covid-19 and may be out of date.<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

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According to the <\/span>Centers for Disease Control and Prevention<\/span><\/a>, the coronavirus is thought to be transmitted by \u201crespiratory droplets,\u201d small mucus packages containing viral particles that are formed when people cough or sneeze. Those droplets primarily find their way from a sick person to a healthy one through close contact, i.e., being near someone and crossing paths with their pathogen-filled droplets.<\/span><\/p>\n

But the coronavirus has only been around for a few months, and we\u2019re still learning how it spreads. <\/span>Peter Palese, chairman of the Department of Microbiology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, says it\u2019s possible that respiratory droplets aren\u2019t the only virus courier.<\/span> “Fecal-oral transmission may also be a component, since the original SARS virus had this,\u201d he says. \u201cHowever, the data from China say there is very little gastrointestinal disease seen in COVID-19, so this route is probably of lesser importance.”\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Given what we know about the coronavirus so far, it doesn’t take a degree in medicine to wonder if cutting down on close physical contact could be a way to prevent the disease from making its way through a community. In epidemiology, this practice is called “social distancing,” and it is one of several ways that infectious diseases can be prevented or slowed without the use of medicine. <\/span>Social distancing<\/span><\/a>, per the CDC, entails staying away from large gatherings, avoiding local public transportation (including ride shares), and generally keeping your distance from other people. A 6-foot personal space bubble is the standard recommendation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Six feet might be farther than you realize; it\u2019s about the length of a full- or queen-sized bed. Many interactions, even with strangers, happen at short distances. Consider scenarios like checking out at the grocery store or going on a date. <\/span>A standard table for two<\/span><\/a> is about two feet across. Remaining 6 feet away from other people at all times might be challenging in a small town, let alone a large city.<\/span><\/p>\n

Social distancing isn\u2019t the only strategy the CDC proposes to reduce spread. You may have heard of the other options: \u201cQuarantine\u201d is when a healthy person is sequestered alone because of suspected exposure to an infectious disease. \u201cIsolation\u201d is the exact same type of separation, but for an actively sick person.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

All three of these measures can impose a significant burden on someone\u2019s job and personal life. That’s why, for anyone wondering if it\u2019s time to flee to a cabin in the woods, the CDC doesn\u2019t advise dramatically changing your daily habits unless you fall into a defined \u201crisk level\u201d category.<\/span><\/p>\n

The CDC only recommends social distancing, as a way to prevent COVID-19 transmission, for people in two specific situations. First, it\u2019s recommended for anyone who\u2019s experienced “medium risk” exposure. That happens when an otherwise healthy person comes into close contact with a person who has a confirmed case of COVID-19 (an official diagnosis via an approved test). Close contact, again, means being within 6 feet of someone, e.g., standing behind them in line or sitting next to them on a plane. <\/span>Second, social distancing is recommended for anyone who has symptoms of the coronavirus and has also had any potential exposure to the disease, no matter how minor.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“Medium risk” becomes “high risk” if someone has been living with a patient who has the disease and <\/span>hasn\u2019t<\/span><\/i> been taking any protective measures, or if someone has traveled to Hubei province in China, where the disease originated. While medium-risk exposures call for social distancing, high-risk exposures call for more restrictive measures (such as quarantine).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

At this point, most people don’t meet the formal criteria for medium risk. While confirmed cases of COVID-19 are on the rise in the United States, they’re still relatively rare. There are two reasons why, according to Kris White, a researcher and colleague of Palese. First, he notes, the coronavirus likely arrived in the US only a few weeks ago. Second, until March 3, the US restricted testing to people who had both respiratory symptoms and a specific reason to suspect they\u2019d been exposed to the coronavirus.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Now that we have a less restrictive testing policy, and improved testing kits, Palese predicts a wider group of people will start being tested. \u201cThere is probably a low level of circulating cases undetected, but we honestly don’t know until we do the testing,” says White.<\/span><\/p>\n

Right now, most people in the US fall into two other risk-level categories. “Low risk” means you\u2019ve been in the same room with someone who has a confirmed case. \u201cNo identifiable risk\u201d means you\u2019ve briefly passed by an infected person. Maybe you were in the same subway station at the same time as someone who\u2019s now known to be sick. If you haven’t been near anyone with confirmed COVID-19, then you don\u2019t fall into any of the CDC\u2019s risk-level categories.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Even if you don\u2019t meet the risk-level threshold, the CDC still advises taking basic precautions to protect yourself against respiratory diseases:<\/span><\/p>\n