With the surfacing of Covid 19, many vocabularies and terms have originated amidst all the chaos and we are still taking a minute to grasp what we should do. I mean, with phrases like quarantine, self-isolation lockdown, and, at the centre of it all ‘social distancing’, it only makes sense if we confuse or alter the meaning of these terms and that is why this article aims at shading light and cutting across social distancing and what it entails.
What is social distancing? Does it mean we separate ourselves from the rest of the world and be alone like in an island in the middle of the sea? Does it expect us to connect with others or not? I can’t blame you in case you have been asking yourself these questions, it is a difficult time, and everybody cares about their health and would do anything to stay alive, but alienating yourself from the rest of the world isn’t one of them.
What is social and physical distancing?
It is so disappointing to hear the cancellation of many global events such as sports, festivals, cruises, and other gatherings that help in strengthening our ties as human beings. However, it is not just a decision that was made to alienate people from one another; instead, after careful health assessments, many health practitioners agreed anonymously that any event of any sort, and get together should be cancelled to reduce the physical contact between people. Cancelling these events ensures that the spread of the coronavirus is under control as the virus is highly contagious. Many people would be infected, and the death rate would be much more of what we see today if such measures were not put in place. Hospitals would be flooded with a lot of patients, and the healthcare department would be under pressure due to the limited resources.
The cancellation of such events that are likely to draw masses of people is an example of social distancing, and therefore, we deliberately increase the physical space between one person to the other in a bid to prevent the spread of the virus, that is, what social distancing is all about. The six feet apart rule is a concept derived to enhance social distancing as you reduce your odds of spreading the virus by staying at least six feet from the other person.
Other measures that were put in place to enhance social distancing include:
1- Working from home instead of the normal workplace setting.
2- Many learning institutions were closed, and students were encouraged to take online classes.
3- Public places were marked out of bounce, parks, and beaches were closed to limit human interactions.
4- Meetings and other conferences were to be held online on platforms like skype, not in physical locations.
No doubt that we are social beings, and isolation is not a thing for all of us. We miss the social gatherings and the boredom in confined rooms away from friends and even family is messing us up. Some people were caught far away from home, and they have to wake up each morning away from their loved ones. Don’t get me wrong; social distancing has nothing to do with our emotions towards each other, I mean, we are just avoiding unnecessary physical interactions and not shutting down our feelings completely.
The good news is; technology is there to offer us a hand in all this. Now we see the importance of social media, video calls, and other interactive media. It is like technology was made for such times, and the gaps that cannot be filled due to the restrictions and measures put in place can be filled with various forms of communication.
In such times, between the fear, tough economic times, and the loneliness, it is easy to fall into depression. Sharing what we feel, talking to the people we love and interacting with the rest of the world can spare us the worry and the possibility of health breakdown.
It is relatively clear that social distancing doesn’t have to bury the emotional aspect. We still can intact and share what we feel and think, only that we can’t do it in the typical face to face manner.
Now we know the importance of social distancing:
1. Reduces the risk of the spread of the virus.
2. Reduces the possibility of spreading the virus.
3. Hospitals will have low addition rates due to slow infection rates.
In a nutshell, the virus has hit the whole world; it means as humans, we have a thing in common, a common enemy, and if we have never been united, then we have a reason to right now!
* The author is a consultant in Public Relations and Personality Types. Instagram: @Tipsbyhalahill
Hala Bader al-Humaidhi
