To the Editor:
Please consider using and promoting the use of the phrase “physical distancing” instead of the somewhat misleading “social distancing.”
“Social distancing” is one of the steps everyone has been and is being advised to take to slow the spread of the corona virus. What the experts actually want us to do is practice “physical distancing.” As you may know, the SARS COV2 virus (technical name for it) is transmitted through physical contact and proximity—touching the eyes, lips, or nose with something contaminated with the virus, like your dirty fingers, or inhaling droplets from a sneeze or the exhalation of someone who has the virus.
After just a few days of self-quarantine—staying home and keeping away from family and friends, many people replaced the face-to-face interactions that matter the most (business or personal) with social media and other electronic means. Deeper into the shelter at home directive, those who are lucky enough to have access to the Internet have transferred a good part of their lives online to cope with the isolation and disconnection, and the logistics of a challenging situation.
Our social lives can carry on, just at a safe distance. I’ve made friends with people in Europe and Australia through a common interest in something unrelated to the pandemic. I’ve had “water cooler” online meetings with colleagues to chat about anything but work. I have almost daily video chats with my siblings. Whether we are on our own, with family, friends, and/or pets, most of us do better with a certain amount of emotional and psychological support.
Monique Yaptenco
Boston, Mass.
Monique:
Good advice—we hope Don Ewing and Teagan Hudzik don’t mind our changing their terminology.
We also checked out the YouTube videos from Dr. Duc C. Vuong. He’s excellent! We highly recommend checking them out: not just informative, but very entertaining.
The Editor