Social Distancing and Travel During Coronavirus: What You Need to Know

What it might mean for you, and how you’ll know if it’s time to start

Dana G Smith
Elemental

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Sukhneet Dhillon, age 11, and family wear masks as they arrive from a flight from India, through Tokyo, to Sea-Tac airport.
Photo: Karen Ducey/Getty Images

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DDuring the 1918–1919 influenza pandemic, many U.S. cities implemented what’s called social distancing to stop the spread of the deadly virus. This mostly involved closing schools and banning public gatherings for weeks or even months at a time. While it sounds a little extreme, it worked: The cities that enforced restrictions earlier and for longer had lower mortality rates than cities that waited or started and stopped the measures.

Health professionals are now looking to the 1918–1919 flu for guidance on how to handle the growing global Covid-19 outbreak, and social distancing recommendations are starting to look more and more likely. Read on to find out what it might mean for you, and how you’ll know when it’s time to start.

Should I stop going out in public if I’m healthy but the virus has been detected in my region? Is it time to start avoiding crowds, work, the gym?

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Dana G Smith
Elemental

Health and science writer • PhD in 🧠 • Words in Scientific American, STAT, The Atlantic, The Guardian • Award-winning Covid-19 coverage for Elemental