This article is a summary of the social distancing measures related to the 2019-20 coronavirus pandemic.
Social distancing, or physical distancing, [1] [2] [3] is a set of non-pharmaceutical interventions or measures taken to prevent the spread of a contagious disease by maintaining a physical distance between people and reducing the number of times people come into close contact with each other. [1] [4] It involves keeping a distance of six feet or two meters from others and avoiding gathering together in large groups. [5] [6]
During the 2019–2020 coronavirus pandemic, social distancing and related measures were emphasised by several governments as alternatives to an enforced quarantine of heavily affected areas. According to UNESCO monitoring, more than a hundred countries have implemented nationwide school closures in response to COVID-19, impacting over half the world's student population. [7] In the United Kingdom, the government advised the public to avoid public spaces, and cinemas and theatres voluntarily closed to encourage the government's message. [8]
With many people disbelieving that COVID-19 is any worse than the seasonal flu, [9] it has been difficult to convince the public—especially teens and young adults—to voluntarily adopt social distancing practices. In Belgium, media reported a rave was attended by at least 300 before it was broken up by local authorities. In France, teens making nonessential trips are fined up to US$ 150. Beaches were closed in Florida and Alabama to disperse partygoers during spring break. [10] Weddings were broken up in New Jersey and an 8 p.m. curfew was imposed in Newark. New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania were the first states to adopt coordinated social distancing policies which closed down non-essential businesses and restricted large gatherings. Shelter in place orders in California were extended to the entire state on 19 March. On the same day Texas declared a public disaster and imposed statewide restrictions. [11]
These preventive measures such as social-distancing and self-isolation prompted the widespread closure of primary, secondary, and post-secondary schools in more than 120 countries. As of 23 March 2020, more than 1.2 billion learners were out of school due to school closures in response to COVID-19. [7] Given low rates of COVID-19 symptoms among children, the effectiveness of school closures has been called into question. [12] Even when school closures are temporary, it carries high social and economic costs. [13] However, the significance of children in spreading COVID-19 is unclear. [14] [15] While the full impact of school closures during the coronavirus pandemic are not yet known, UNESCO advises that school closures have negative impacts on local economies and on learning outcomes for students. [16]
In early March 2020, the sentiment "Stay The Fuck Home" was coined by Florian Reifschneider, a German engineer and was quickly echoed by notable celebrities such as Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande [17] [18] and Busy Philipps [19] in hopes of reducing and delaying the peak of the outbreak. Facebook, Twitter and Instagram also joined the campaign with similar hashtags, stickers and filters under #staythefhome, #stayhome, #staythefuckhome and began trending across social media. [20] [21] [22] [23] The website claims to have reached about two million people online and says the text has been translated into 17 languages. [23]
Social distancing, also called physical distancing, is a set of non-pharmaceutical interventions or measures taken to prevent the spread of a contagious disease by maintaining a physical distance between people and reducing the number of times people come into close contact with each other. It typically involves keeping a certain distance from others and avoiding gathering together in large groups.
The first case of the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic in India was reported on 30 January 2020, originating from China. As of 30 April 2020, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare have confirmed a total of 33,610 cases, 8,373 recoveries and 1075 deaths in the country. Experts suggest the number of infections could be much higher as India's testing rates are among the lowest in the world. The infection rate of COVID-19 in India is reported to be 1.7, significantly lower than in the worst affected countries.
The 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Sri Lanka is an ongoing viral pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a novel infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). As of 28 April 2020, 649 confirmed cases have been reported in the country with 7 deaths. On 3 March 2020, the first reported case involving a Sri Lankan origin outside Sri Lanka was reported in Italy. As of 23 March, forty-five quarantine centers have been built in the country by the Sri Lanka Army as a preventive measure to tackle the coronavirus pandemic. Nearly 3,500 people have been under quarantine in 45 quarantine centers which also include 31 foreigners from 14 countries.
The ongoing pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019, a novel infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, spread to New Zealand, when the first case was reported on 28 February 2020. As of 30 April 2020, the country has a total of 1,476 cases, of which 216 are active, and 19 people have died from the virus. Cases have occurred in all 20 district health board (DHB) areas of the country. As of 29 April 2020, sixteen DHBs have active cases; there are no active cases in Tairāwhiti, Wairarapa, West Coast or Whanganui DHBs.
The first confirmed case of the pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 in Nigeria was announced on 27 February 2020, when an Italian citizen in Lagos tested positive for the virus, caused by SARS-CoV-2. On 9 March 2020, a second case of the virus was reported in Ewekoro, Ogun State, a Nigerian citizen who had contact with the Italian citizen.
National responses to the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic have been varied, and have included containment measures such as lockdowns, quarantines, and curfews. As of late April, there are 2.9 million cases of COVID-19 and over 203,800 deaths in 210 countries and territories around the world. The most affected countries in terms of confirmed cases being the United States, Spain, Italy, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Turkey and China.
The first cases of the global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Washington, D.C. were reported on March 7, 2020.
The 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic was confirmed to have reached the U.S. state of Alabama in March 2020. As of April 29, 2020, the Alabama Department of Public Health reported 6,814 cases of COVID-19 and 245 confirmed deaths.
The 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic spread to Namibia, with the first confirmed cases announced on 14 March 2020 by Namibian Minister of Health and Social Services Dr Kalumbi Shangula.
The 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Saint Lucia is part of the ongoing global viral pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which was confirmed to have reached Saint Lucia on 13 March 2020.
The 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic has affected educational systems worldwide, leading to the near-total closures of schools, universities and colleges.
The 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Grenada is part of the ongoing global viral pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which was confirmed to have reached Grenada on March 22, 2020. Despite lockdowns and social distancing protocols, it appeared to have reached the level of community spread within one month.
The 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Montserrat is part of the ongoing global viral pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which was confirmed to have reached the British Overseas Territory of Montserrat on 17 March 2020.. The first death occurred on 24 April 2020.
A stay-at-home order or a movement control order is an order from a government authority to restrict movements of a population as a mass quarantine strategy for suppressing, or mitigating, an epidemic, or pandemic, by ordering residents to stay home except for essential tasks or to work in essential businesses. In many cases, outdoor activities are allowed. Nonessential businesses are either closed or adapted to working from home. In some regions, it has been implemented as a round-the-clock curfew or called a shelter-in-place order, but it is not to be confused with a shelter in place situation. Similar measures have been used around the world, but the term lockdown is used instead. Some officials have a concern that the word lockdown may send a wrong message for people to incorrectly think that it includes door-to-door searching for infected people to be forced into quarantines similar to the Hubei lockdown.
The Indian state governments have responded to the 2020 coronavirus pandemic India with various declarations of emergency, closure of institutions and public meeting places, and other restrictions intended to contain the spread of the virus.
This article provides an overview of worldwide curfews and similar restrictions related to the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic and established to prevent further spread of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which causes COVID-19.
On 24 March, the Government of India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi ordered a nationwide lockdown for 21 days, limiting movement of the entire 1.3 billion population of India as a preventive measure against the 2020 coronavirus pandemic in India. It was ordered after a 14-hour voluntary public curfew on 22 March, followed by enforcement of a series of regulations in the country's COVID-19 affected regions. The lockdown was placed when the number of confirmed positive coronavirus cases in India was approximately 500.
This article documents the chronology of the response to the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic in April 2020, which originated in Wuhan, China in December 2019. Some developments may become known or fully understood only in retrospect. Reporting on this outbreak began in December 2019.
There have been protests and demonstrations around the world against responses to the ongoing 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic by governmental bodies. These protests are similar to the Anti-Mask League of San Francisco movement that was seen during the 1918 pandemic, as people pushed for the restrictions to be lessened as cases did.
Misinformation has been circulating in India related to the COVID-19 disease, the pandemic and the responses of the government to the pandemic. The misinformation circulated in the context of COVID-19 in India include using unproven methods for disease cure, spreading communal hatred and glorifying or belittling the government's response to the pandemic. Actions are taken by the central and state governments to curb the spreading of fake news. The Central government appealed the citizens to not heed to rumours surrounding COVID-19.