WASHINGTON, DC— Social distancing is the invisible messiah of this questionable time. “Six feet apart at all times” are the words that are constantly ringing throughout our ears not only on the news, but from friends, parents, and grandparents alike. However, what are the effects of these words? Friends and family no longer want to share hugs and kisses with us. It’s always the common phrase, “ Six feet! Six feet!” Every time someone in a crowd or a small group starts to cough, a sharp look is shot towards whoever dares to show their sickness, whether it’s real or not. The question: What do people think about these strict spacial guidelines? And what should we do to keep people happy and safe during these uncertain times?
“During these times, I think it’s necessary,” says Gloria Kearney, a social worker and grandmother. “I think it can be lonely at times, but it’s necessary to protect our country and the world.”
According to Katherine Ellen Foley, the health/science reporter at Quartz.com, social distancing was born in 1930, when scientist William Wells realized that cough droplets could travel three feet between people. The six feet was born during the SARS pandemic of 2003, when scientists realized that William Wells’ study was way off; it could transfer up to six feet. Italy, a country that has since recovered from being the world epicenter to one of the rare open countries, cracked down hard on its citizens with a strict stay-at-home order and social distancing. Italy is proof in itself that social distancing can slow the effects of this murderous pandemic. In Korea, according to NPR, one man infected approximately 54 different people within South Korea after visiting a nightclub. Places around the world such as China and Korea, some of the hardest hit areas, employed strict stay-at-home orders, and have since opened their countries more as their numbers greatly improved.
Keeping your distance is the best thing you could do right now. However, some jobs require you to be up close and personal. One of these jobs happens to be social working.
Child abuse continues. If anything, in these times, it’s worse. Families are stressed, stuck together in these abnormal times, inducing boredom, loneliness, frustration, and even anger.
And although this statement is correct within many perspectives, love is still present within many households. A bond unbreakable, a true family will never be separated, no matter how far apart they must be. Six feet doesn’t mean that love can’t exist, or that we can’t be safe because we need to be near loved ones.
