The Santa Clara Valley Health & Hospital System has published a useful fact sheet on Social Distancing. The sheet covers the questions of what social distancing as a public health measure is, why and how it works and what everybody can do to support social distancing.
Social distancing is a measure to slow the spread of infectious diseases and it is put into effect by measures which limit large groups of people coming together. This includes closing schools, canceling events (including sport, concerts, festivals, parades), switching to telecommunication in business and changing the standard procedures in for example libraries by only letting one person at a time pick up items. Social distancing would also mean closing down all childcare and community centers, malls, cultural institutions, as well as suspending gatherings at houses of worship.
Besides social distancing, other public health actions can include isolation of already sick people and quarantine of people who were in contact with already sick people and potentially can become infectious.
The good thing is, everybody can contribute to the effort by sticking to the instructions by the authorities and practicing good hygiene habits, such as washing hands and covering sneezing and coughing.
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