(BUTTON) Fact Checked

Physical Distancing Was Just Supposed to Buy Us Time. Was It Enough?

   Written by Julia Ries on May 15, 2020 — Fact checked by Dana K. Cassell
   Share on PinterestPeople in New York are still supposed to physically
   distance to keep COVID-19 cases down. Getty Images
     * Physical (social) distancing definitely helped us get control of
       the coronavirus, which was spreading rapidly throughout March. But
       alone it wasn’t enough to bring transmission to a halt.
     * The new data demonstrate that physical distancing shouldn’t be
       relaxed unless a substantial decrease in daily cases of COVID-19
       has been observed.
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   A new study from researchers at Cornell University and University of
   Rochester found that physical distancing (social distancing) measures
   stabilized the transmission of the new coronavirus (the virus that
   causes COVID-19).
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   to decline.

   Physical distancing definitely helped us get control of the new
   coronavirus, which was spreading rapidly throughout March. But alone it
   wasn’t enough to bring viral transmission to a halt.

   States that were hit particularly hard — New York, New Jersey, and
   Michigan — saw the greatest impact from physical distancing measures.

   And all but three states — North Dakota, South Dakota, and Nebraska,
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   saw a huge reduction in the doubling rate of new infections.

   In theory, strict physical distancing could have caused infections to
   decrease just as fast as they had increased in March.

   Though evidence is still limited on the impact of physical distancing,
   early data suggests that it didn’t decrease the number of COVID-19
   cases reported daily.
--

   The new findings show that we don’t have much “wiggle room” when it
   comes to relaxing physical distancing measures, according to the
   researchers.

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   “Flatten the curve” became the new motto in our fight against the
   coronavirus mid-March. By staying home and physically distancing, we
   could slow the spread of disease and avoid overwhelming the country’s
   healthcare system.

   The distancing was implemented to help buy more time to ramp up testing
   and get hospital workers more PPE.

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   treat the surge of cases.”

   This new evidence shows physical distancing played a big role in
   flattening the curve, bringing the number of cases of COVID-19 to a
   plateau.

   What will happen if physical distancing is relaxed too soon?

   The new data demonstrates that physical distancing shouldn’t be relaxed
   unless a substantial decrease in daily cases has been observed.

   “Since a systematic relaxation of social distancing will presumably
   increase the doubling rate, from a public health perspective it is
   advisable to relax such measures only when there is evidence that the
   spread has become subcritical,” the researchers stated in the study.

   Currently, physical distancing measures will need to stay in place for
   some time in most regions.

   Romero said that because coronavirus activity in each city and county
   is so different, local health authorities will have to tailor and
   implement distancing precautions per the number of local cases.

   “It is paramount for local health leaders to work with local government
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   Contact tracing, testing, and masks are also crucial

   Physical distancing alone isn’t enough to decrease the number of new
   daily cases, according to Wagner.

   “We should be looking for other measures that we can employ in addition
   to, or in place of, social distancing,” Wagner said.

   One option Wagner mentioned is widespread mask wearing, which was
--

   Transmissibility does tend to fall over time, Wagner noted, but to get
   there, we need to adhere to strict physical distancing and consider
   introducing new measures to reduce the transmission of the coronavirus.

   “Social distancing is very costly, and it seems to have helped
   substantially. But social distancing alone has not taken us to the
   place we want to be,” Wagner said.

   The bottom line

   New research has found that physical distancing (social distancing)
   stabilized the transmission of the virus that causes COVID-19. But it
   didn’t cause the number of daily reported cases of COVID-19 to decline.

   Physical distancing helped us get control of the coronavirus, which was
   spreading rapidly throughout March. Alone it wasn’t enough to bring the
   transmission to a halt, however.

   Health experts say that relaxing physical distancing measures too soon
   could result in a surge of new cases. We need to continue adhering to
   physical distancing and consider introducing new measures to reduce the
   transmission of the coronavirus.
   Written by Julia Ries on May 15, 2020 — Fact checked by Dana K. Cassell