Social distancing has been trending for the last couple weeks, and while we have a basic understanding of what we need to do, the reasons surrounding the why remain a little less obvious. There’s plenty of information out there that touches on what you can do to entertain yourself at home, but we’d like to talk about the why, and the CDC Guidelines are a good place to start.
About the CDC Guidelines
According to these guidelines, social distancing means staying about 6 feet from other people, not gathering in groups, and staying away from crowded places. Accepting these guidelines is a no-brainer; however, we need to understand the reasoning behind it. First, here’s a hypothetical situation:
You decide that you need groceries from your local supermarket. You head in and the place is packed and before you know it, you’re shoulder-to-shoulder with fellow shoppers. Then it happens: a woman to your right sneezes, releasing droplets into the air or a healthy looking young man is talking and spittle is ejected from his mouth. The sprinkling or droplets head towards you. In most cases you will be none-the-wiser. Luckily, the droplets’ relatively large size, greater than 5 micrometres, make them arc downward and hit the floor or other surfaces.
How you become infected
Now, there are multiple ways you can become infected by these suspect COVID-19 droplets; if you are close enough, infected droplets can be inhaled directly into your lungs or by touching infected surfaces. If you come into contact with a contaminated surface, like a doorknob or a counter, and then touch your mouth, eyes, or nose, you can contract COVID-19. If infected, you may or may not have symptoms. This is what makes this virus so contagious.
Asymptomatic, unconcerned individuals will spread it without knowing and those with compromised immune systems and/or elderly will pay the heavy price. Although, cases showing healthy, young individuals, that end up dying after contracting COVID-19, do exist.
Social distancing and handwashing are key
This 6-foot distance outlined in the CDC Guidelines, gives enough distance for the airborne virus to travel and fall out of the air between people. COVID-19 can live for hours or days on a surface, depending on factors like sunlight, humidity, and surface type.
Now, what’s also key is washing your hands frequently throughout the day with warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds. Happy birthday is a good song to sing (twice) or sing your favorite jam. Or simply count to 20. The trick is to give it enough time to have the soap breakdown and destroy the virus.
Social distancing helps limit contact with infected people and contaminated surfaces. It helps unknowing infected people from unwittingly passing this terrible virus to others. Anyone can catch and spread the coronavirus, though the severity of the illness can be different for everyone. Think of the consequences if grandma or a family member catches COVID-19.
We’re in this together – at a distance
We all need to do our part to stop the spread and protect our neighbors, friends, families and our ourselves from this virus. Stay vigilant: maintain your distance, wash your hands, and keep surfaces clean.
