Coronavirus: This graphic explains importance of social distancing amid pandemic scare

The coronavirus pandemic continues to spread fear among people, having claimed more than 8,000 lives and over two lakh people infected. In the past few weeks, countries around the world have moved to a complete lockdown situation, where people are being advised to stay indoors as much as possible to contain the contagion. This has forced people to distance themselves socially.

The coronavirus outbreak is getting worse, what’s happening in other countries tells that it will soon get worse, and public health experts have started asking people to take up social distancing — more isolation from each other, more holing up in your place for days, much less physical contact with the world.

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Social distancing is the need of hour

Social distancing refers to avoiding unnecessary social interactions, working from home if it’s possible, closing down schools – in the service of reducing the pressure on hospitals and other health systems. It means that even if infections do spread, they'll hopefully spread much less rapidly than if we had just continued as normal.

In the wake of this, a graphic, created by graphic designer Gary Warshaw, based on research by the University of San Diego's Signer Laboratory, was shared by Ireland's deputy prime minister. It reveals why social distancing is so important to "flatten the curve" of the coronavirus epidemic, as per reports.

This graph also demonstrates that if people carry on their work as usual, the number of cases of an infection like the novel coronavirus, will increase on a dramatic scale or increase rapidly, making it more difficult to deal with.

However, it also says that if people come together and commit to the practice of social distancing, the cases will spread less rapidly. This will ensure that health services and health workers will have more time to prepare for infections and people who aren’t well will have a better chance of making it through.

A group of researchers have carried out a bunch of simulations to understand how the disease is rapidly spreading and how it can be contained. Their analysis suggests that people might have to socially distance for a longer period that may also last up to A year, as per reports.

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The researchers give the reason for asking people to stay at home, which is that the healthcare systems around the world aren't equipped to deal with the horrific disaster that is inevitable if people carry their lives as they usually do, as per reports.

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