Social distancing for coronavirus (COVID-19) – Types

Social distancing for coronavirus (COVID-19) - Types

Everyone must practice social distancing to slow the spread of COVID-19.

 

“Social distance is a measure of social separation between groups caused by perceived or real differences between groups of people as defined by well-known social categories. It manifests across a variety of social categories, including class, race and ethnicity, culture, nationality, religion, gender and sexuality, and age, among others. Sociologists recognize three key types of social distance: affective, normative, and interactive. They study it through a variety of research methods, including ethnography and participant observation, surveys, interviews, and daily route mapping, among other techniques.”



One way to slow the spread of viruses is social distancing (also called physical distancing). The more space between you and others, the harder it is for the virus to spread.

 

In public

Social distancing in public means people:

 

stay at home unless is absolutely necessary

keep 1.5 metres away from others

avoid physical greetings such as handshaking, hugs and kisses

use tap and pay instead of cash

travel at quiet times and avoid crowds

avoid public gatherings and at risk groups

practice good hygiene

 

Households

Steps for social distancing in all homes include:



stay at home unless going out is absolutely necessary

keep visitors to a minimum

reduce visits to the shops — instead, buy more goods and services online if you can for pick-up, pre-order or delivery

carefully consider what travel and outings are necessary, both individual and family

regularly disinfect surfaces that are touched a lot, such as tables, kitchen benches and doorknobs

increase ventilation in the home by opening windows or adjust air conditioning

 

If someone in your household is sick, you should:

care for the sick person in a single room, if possible

keep the number of carers to a minimum

keep the door to the sick person’s room closed. If possible, keep a window open

wear a surgical mask when you are in the same room as the sick person. The sick person should also wear a mask

protect other vulnerable family members by keeping them away from the sick person. At-risk people include those over 65 years or people with a chronic illness. If possible, find them somewhere else to live while the family member is sick.



At work

 

If you can, work from home. If you cannot work from home and you are sick, you must not attend your workplace. You must stay at home and away from others.

 

Steps for social distancing in the workplace include:

stop shaking hands to greet others

hold meetings via video conferencing or phone call

put off large meetings to a later date
hold essential meetings outside in the open air if possible

promote good hand, sneeze and cough hygiene

provide alcohol based hand rub for all staff and workers

eat lunch at your desk or outside rather than in the lunch room

regularly clean and disinfect surfaces that many people touch

open windows or adjust air conditioning for more ventilation

limit food handling and sharing of food in the workplace

avoid non-essential travel

promote strict hygiene among food preparation (canteen) staff and their close contacts

consider if you can reschedule, stagger or cancel non-essential meetings



In schools

If your child is sick, they must not go to school or childcare. You must keep them at home and away from others.

 

To reduce the spread of viruses or germs in schools:

wash hands with soap and water or use hand sanitiser when entering school and at regular intervals

stop activities that lead to mixing between classes and years

avoid queuing

cancel school assemblies

have a regular handwashing schedule

regularly clean and disinfect surfaces that many people touch

conduct lessons outdoors where possible

consider opening windows and adjusting conditioning for more ventilation

promote strictest hygiene among food preparation (canteen) staff and their close contacts

Keep in touch with others

 

You can still keep in touch with loved ones while you practice social distancing:

use video chats

schedule phone calls to chat with others you would normally see

use online groups to interact

chat with neighbors while keeping 1.5 meters apart

 

Meanwhile, according to Thoughtco, there are three types of Social Distance, as authored by Nicki Lisa Cole, Ph.D. –

  • Affective Social Distance
  • Normative Social Distance and
  • Interactive Social Distance

 

Affective Social Distance
Affective social distance is probably the most widely known type and the one that is the cause of great concern among sociologists. Affective social distance was defined by Emory Bogardus, who created the Bogardus Social Distance Scale for measuring it. Affective social distance refers to the degree to which a person from one group feels sympathy or empathy for persons from other groups. The scale of measurement created by Bogardus measures this by establishing the willingness of a person to interact with people from other groups. For example, an unwillingness to live next door to a family of a different race would indicate a high degree of social distance. On the other hand, willingness to marry a person of a different race would indicate a very low degree of social distance.

Affective social distance is a cause of concern among sociologists because it is known to foster prejudice, bias, hatred, and even violence. Affective social distance between Nazi sympathizers and European Jews was a significant component of the ideology that supported the Holocaust. Today, affective social distance fuels politically motivated hate crimes and school bullying among some supporters of President Donald Trump and seem to have created the conditions for his election to the presidency, given that support for Trump was concentrated among white people.



Normative Social Distance
Normative social distance is the kind of difference we perceive between ourselves as members of groups and others who are not members of the same groups. It is the distinction we make between “us” and “them,” or between “insider” and “outsider.” Normative social distance is not necessary judgmental in nature. Rather, it can simply signal that a person recognizes differences between herself and others whose race, class, gender, sexuality, or nationality may differ from her own.

Sociologists consider this form of social distance to be important because it is necessary to first recognize a difference in order to then see and understand how difference shapes the experiences and life trajectories of those who differ from ourselves. Sociologists believe that recognition of difference in this way should inform social policy so that it is crafted to serve all citizens and not just those who are in the majority.



Interactive Social Distance
Interactive social distance is a way of describing the extent to which different groups of people interact with each other, in terms of both frequency and intensity of interaction. By this measure, the more different groups interact, the closer they are socially. They less they interact, the greater the interactive social distance is between them. Sociologists who operate using social network theory pay attention to interactive social distance and measure it as the strength of social ties.

Sociologists recognize that these three types of social distance are not mutually exclusive and do not necessarily overlap. Groups of people may be close in one sense, say, in terms of interactive social distance, but far from another, like in affective social distance.

__________________________ Join us on WhatsApp ______________________________

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *