Social distancing—even the phrase sounds dire. Step away from other people. And now we have at least two more weeks of it. One of the most recommended preventive measures suggested by doctors and experts is social distancing and avoiding contact with each other. Several countries, including India, have enforced strict, unprecedented lockdowns lasting up to a month encouraging people to stay at home as much possible. Humans are social animals, after all. We’re evolutionarily wired for proximity to each other. So, these new protocols (staying six feet apart, voluntarily quarantining as much as possible) are necessary, but may not be natural.
Even when you’re healthy, not having social interactions can hurt both your physical and mental wellbeing. Studies have shown loneliness can lead to diabetes, autoimmune disorders (rheumatoid arthritis and lupus), and cardiovascular diseases. If you’re you’re already prone to depression, anxiety, and loneliness, your you’re hit even harder. And that’s when life is healthy, not in the current coronavirus culture.
In this new world of telecommuting, self-quarantining, and seemingly constant handwashing, the impact may be even more dramatic. The somewhat reassuring news is that we have an idea of what to expect and who is at risk thanks to the piles and piles of research that was done after the SARS epidemic in 2003 and 9/11.
But after all, we should cooperate with the government because it’sits for our betterment only. As we are not only saving our life we are saving the lives of millions of people living on the earth. So it’sits my sincere request that we should maintain social distancing to fight with this deadly disease.
From
Naman Hasija
Class 12
The Mann School, Delhi
#SocialDistancing #StudentJournalist #TheMannSchoolDelhi #NamanHasija #BoardingSchool #K12News #Covid_19
