The CDC instructs that “social distancing” is the best way for us to keep ourselves, and others, safe amidst the pandemic that is COVID19. Wondering what it’s all about? We’ve got the quick breakdown here with everything you need to know:

Social distancing refers to the idea of changing your behavior—distancing yourself—to stop the spread of infection. This often includes halting social contact and commitments like work and school even among individuals that seem healthy. These tactics delay transmissions and reduce the size of an outbreak.

Things to avoid

• Public spaces
• Unnecessary social gatherings
• Crowds
• Public transportation
• Physical contact with others
• Hugs, kisses, handshakes

In general

• Try to stay ~6 feet away from others when possible

Measures you can take

• Work from home if possible
• Get on Zoom, Facetime or Skype for video calls
• Use hand sanitizer and wash your hands a lot when you do need to interact with the outside world

If you do have to go into work

• Separate employee workstations
• Relocate yourself to unoccupied space
• Rearrange your floorplan
• Move essential equipment to open areas to create space

How to make #socialdistancing fun

• Schedule digital dinner dates with family & friends
• Dance like no one’s watching 😉
• Pick up a long book
• Go for a bike ride
• Check out fitness apps that are running promotions right now, like Down Dog and Peloton

• Does it work?
• Evidence from breaks like the 1918 flu and more recently, 2014’s Ebola outbreak shows that social distancing does limit the spread of infections.

TLDR

You can lower your risk of infection by reducing your contact with other people.