Physical Distancing in COVID-19

COVID-19 is an emerging respiratory disease that is caused by a novel coronavirus and was first detected in December 2019 in Wuhan, China. The disease is highly infectious, and its main clinical symptoms include fever, dry cough, fatigue, myalgia, and dyspnea.The best way to prevent and slow down transmission is be well informed about the COVID-19 virus, the disease it causes and how it spreads. The COVID-19 virus spreads primarily through droplets of saliva or discharge from the nose when an infected person coughs or sneezes, so it’s important that you also practice respiratory etiquette (for example, by coughing into a flexed elbow).

Humans are known to be social beings and concept of physical distancing becomes important in containing COVID. Not only now but always behaviour change took time and had to have many components included in it for making the mass accept behaviour change. Behaviour change is a difficult process and it takes time. Physical distancing is particularly challenging because there are many physical social and cultural barriers involved in practising it. Virtually, all interventions aimed at fighting COVID depend on behaviour change. Behaviour change communication is an essential prerequisite of effectiveness of physical distancing. Hence, health professionals must go beyond just prescription model to influence change.

The non-pharmaceutical interventions include “case-based” measures such as testing, contact tracing, isolation (of infected cases) and quarantine (of exposed cases); and “noncase-based” measures such as reducing the probability of transmission given an effective contact (e.g., hand hygiene and cough etiquette) and physical distancing measures to reduce the contact rate in the population.

Physical distancing minimizes opportunities for person-to-person transmission of the virus to occur. These physical-distancing measures include some combination of school closure, teleworking, cancellation of group activities and events, and a general overall reduction in community contacts. Although these measures are expected to be effective in reducing transmission of SARS-CoV-2, they are also associated with substantial economic costs and societal disruption. 

Epidemiologic models can contribute important insight for public health decisionmakers by allowing for the examination of a variety of “what-if” scenarios. The Canadian Pandemic Influenza Plan for the Health Sector (the backbone of which informs COVID-19 pandemic preparedness and response) identifies 2 main objectives for responding to a pandemic: to minimize serious morbidity and mortality, and to minimize societal disruption.

The distance advised by authorities can vary. During the COVID-19 pandemic, for example, theWorld Health Organizationrecommends that a distance of 1m (3.3ft) or more is safe. Subsequently, China, Denmark, Lithuaniaand Singaporeadopted a 1 m social distancing policy.South Koreaadopted 1.4m (4ft 7in).Australia, Belgium, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Portugaland Spainadopted 1.5 m (4.9 ft). The United Statesadopted 6ft (1.8m) distancing, and Canada adopted a policy of 2 m (6.6 ft) distancing. While the United Kingdom first advised a distance of at least 2 m, this was reduced to a "1m+" policy from July 4, 2020, reducing the safe distance to 1 m (3.3 ft), where other methods to mitigate virus transmission, for exampleface masksor plastic screens, were in place.

There are concerns that social distancing can have adverse affectson mental health.It may lead tostress,anxiety, depressionorpanic, especially for individuals with preexisting conditions such as anxiety disorders,obsessive compulsive disorders, andparanoia. Widespread media coverage about a pandemic, its impact on economy, and resulting hardships may create anxiety. Change in daily circumstances and uncertainty about the future may add onto the mental stress of being away from other people.

Humans are known to be social beings and concept of physical distancing becomes important in containing COVID. Physical distancing is particularly challenging because there are many physical social and cultural barriers involved in practising it. The present scenario demands physical distancing followed by hand hygiene and PPE vigorously. At present when the vaccines are still in the human phase trials, the much neededremedy is following non-pharmaceutical interventions one of which is physical distancing.