What is social distancing?

Social distancing means reducing social interaction which in turn will reduce the spread of Coronavirus. This means:

•     Maintain 2m distance between you and other people and try to maintain this with members of your household. 2m is the same as 6 feet or about 3 steps
•     Avoid contact with anyone with symptoms of Coronavirus (continuous cough and/or fever).
•     Avoid using public transport unless it is essential.
•     Work from home where possible. You employer should support this.
•     No gatherings of more than 2 people (unless they are members of your household). That means you cannot meet other family members who don’t live with you and friends. You can still keep in touch using phone/internet.
•     Daily exercise is allowed but limit this to an hour per day and keep your distance from others
•     Use telephone or online services to contact your GP for anything urgent

You can leave your home for essential reasons such as shopping for necessities and for medical appointments.

Why do we need to social distance?

The coronavirus mainly spreads by droplet. If you imagine coughing, every time you cough, invisible droplets come out of your mouth and nose. These could contain the virus. These droplets fall to the ground and cover your clothes and other nearby surfaces. The distance that a cough could travel is up to 2m and that’s why we recommend keeping that distance between people.

If we keep our distance it means that other people are less likely to get the virus from you and you are less likely to get it from them. This will reduce the spread of the virus.

Who should be doing it?

Everyone should be social distancing. There are no exceptions to this.

What else should I be doing?

This virus travels by droplet and can live on surfaces. You are most likely to get it by touching an infected surface such as a door handle and then touching your face. The more this happens, the more likely you are to get the virus.

Wash your hands regularly and frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. It is important to wash between the fingers, the thumb and back of your hands as these are the areas that people often neglect. Ineffective hand washing means the virus could still be on your hands even if you think they are clean.

Hand washing is the best way to protect yourself. This is probably the most important thing for you to remember.