05/26/2020

How to Social-distance as America Opens Back Up

The last 10 weeks have taught us a great deal

Two months ago, I interviewed Asaf Bitton, a primary-care physician and public-health researcher who directs the Ariadne Labs at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard’s School of Public Health, about the guidelines he had compiled on how to best practice social distancing. These guidelines were released on March 13, just as states were issuing shelter-in-place orders and Americans were wondering how they should perform basic activities, like daily walks and grocery runs.

Now, with businesses beginning to open up, and activity set to increase, I spoke by phone with Bitton again. I wanted to know what scientists had learned over the past few months about best practices for social distancing, what activities people should feel more comfortable doing, and where people should exercise more caution. In our conversation, which has been edited for length and clarity, we discussed why public-health officials have changed the way they think about masks, the risks of socializing indoors, and the problem of public bathrooms.

What have we learned about the best social-distancing practices in the last 10 weeks?
I think that we’ve learned from a number of studies that social distancing, when practiced en masse and consistently, actually can work to drive down the rate of growth of cases. This has gone from theoretical economic-modelling literature to a lot better epidemiological data. The practices that work are really the practices that reduce the ability of respiratory droplets to easily travel to other people. So, that means that we’ve learned that it’s not just the distance quotient or equation. In fact, we’ve learned that sneezes and coughs can actually amplify beyond the six feet, but, in fact, that masks are really effective. Ventilation is really important. And the time interval that separates people from touching the same objects is important. So making sure that we’re not just washing hands but also not touching the same objects, especially indoor objects, is the hallmark of effective distancing strategies.

Please select this link to read the complete article from The New Yorker.