Social distancing a weapon to fight Coronavirus

By: Vinod Chandrashekhar Dixit
While addressing the nation our PM Narendra Modi has urged every Indian to resolve to fight against the Covid-19 and exhibit restraint by practicing social distancing and avoiding hoarding. COVID-19 has been labeled as a pandemic, a global outbreak of the disease. The term “Social distancing” might sound like an emotional phase in early but in reality, it is a public health term describing our best defense against the coronavirus. Social distancing practices are the changes in behaviour that can help stop the spread of Coronavirus infections.
Social distancing is not the same as self-quarantine or isolation, two other practices being utilized to minimize the coronavirus spread. The key difference is that a quarantine or isolation restricts the movement of people within a certain area or zone to limit transferring and spreading an infection. Measures like social distancing can help communities achieve that second line — a slower growth in the number of cases — so that they have more time and resources to care for all the sick patients.  
Social distancing is practicing putting physical distance between yourself and others at least 6 feet and staying home when you can. The response to the COVID – 19 pandemic is infiltrating every aspect of life, and we’re already longing for it to end. As an individual, one can lower the risk of infection by reducing the rate of contact with other people. Avoiding public spaces and unnecessary social gatherings, especially events with large numbers of people or crowds, will lower the chance that a person will be exposed to the new coronavirus as well as to other infectious diseases like flu. Social distancing accepts or acknowledges that the coronavirus is likely widespread, community transmission is already occurring and the number of diagnosed cases is going to rise as more people receive testing.  Social distancing is a societal effort to contain transmission. It is recommended to separate yourself from people you live with as much as possible. Governments around the world are responding to the COVID -19 pandemic, and social distancing is a central aspect of plans to limit the spread of the virus. Public health experts believe social distancing is the best way to prevent a Coronavirus. Social distancing can reduce virus transmission from infected persons to susceptible individuals by increasing physical distance between people or reducing frequency of congregation in socially dense community settings, such as schools or workplaces. The best way to prevent “community spread” is to spread out the community. 
It is widely viewed as an effective behavior and something that anyone and everyone should practice. Until a vaccine or even an effective treatment can be developed, the best hope for protecting ourselves is slowing the spread of the disease by practicing “Social distancing”. We must understand that the measures are aimed at trying to cut down the amount of virus spreading around, and ultimately protect those most vulnerable, including the elderly and people with weakened immune systems.
There is no doubt that the spread can be slowed down, if people practice social distancing by avoiding public spaces and generally limiting their movement. Let us remember that to stop the spread of the coronavirus, social distancing is becoming the new normal, at least for a few weeks. Less contact with others outside of household unit is the best option to help reduce the spread of COVID-19.