Who could ever have thought until a few weeks ago that the phrases ‘social distancing’ and ‘flattening the curve’ would be so well-known to people around the world.
Yet, here we are. Those previously-obscure references to the bulk of the population are now the most common during this COVID-19 pandemic.
Now, it’s just a matter of getting everyone to comply. And the health care professionals keep telling us we need 100 per cent cooperation.
That, in itself, will be quite a feat if we can achieve it. We all know defiance is one of the most famous human qualities. Most people don’t like being told what to do.
This is one of those times we can be thankful we live in a smaller community. Social distancing can be obtained with some common sense on the part of everyone.
Avoiding people ‘like the plague’ is one of those expressions we’ve all known, but this is truly being put into practice to avoid others ‘like the coronavirus’ or at least in order to prevent the coronavirus from spreading.
Can you honestly imagine what it would be like to live in a large city during a time like this? How do you totally avoid people when everything you do requires you to cram into crowded spaces?
It’s a fact of life for people living in larger centres. Commuters jam into transit buses or light rail transportation on a regular basis and even during their free time they’re packed like sardines into sports venues or concerts for entertainment.
We should be able to adjust easily to the six-foot requirement in our neck of the woods. But for those who regularly live amid the hustle and bustle, getting away from people isn’t part of the landscape.
Unfortunately, the majority of deaths are occurring in large cities where crowded conditions can cause the virus to spread quite quickly and easily.
How we’re going to stop that from happening will be an enormous challenge. In the meantime, all we can do is restrict our movements and activity among a sparse population even more to stay safe.