Jahnavi Sarma
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Written By: Jahnavi Sarma | Published : June 17, 2020 9:47 PM IST
• Maintain physical distancing, wear face masks and practice good hygiene.
The COVID-19 pandemic has held the world hostage for quite some time now and as yet it shows no signs of abating. Though the number of positive cases and deaths have come down in some counties in recent days, India is still battling massive surge in cases. Here, many states have decided not to continue with lockdown. Authorities are waking up to the fact that this disease is here to stay. With no cure or vaccine in sight, this is a worrying prospect. Moreover, with reports coming in from China about the news outbreak there, things seem to have become just a little bit more complicated. The need to look out for yourself becomes all the more important. Precautionary methods like social distancing and wearing of face masks among others will help to a great extent. But how long can you stay isolated from friends and family?
A recent study at the University of Oxford in the UK says that social bubbles or small groups of close contacts made up of friends and family may be the best way to keep COVID-19 contained when a lockdown is lifted. According to researchers, easing lockdown restrictions in favour of strategic distancing is what may lead to improved compliance with official recommendations and 'keep the curve' flat in terms of COVID-19 infections. The journal Nature Human Behaviour published this study.
Researchers of the above-mentioned study suggest that reducing high-impact contact, rather than reducing or removing it overall, can mitigate adverse social, behavioural and economic impacts of lockdown approaches while keeping risks low. By offering different social distancing strategies, the study also proposes alternatives to social bubbles in cases when forming these is not practicable. They suggest that all discussed approaches mitigate the recognised psychological and physical harms of prolonged social distancing.
So, the question that is uppermost in most people's mind today is, 'When can I start meeting my friends and visiting family again?' Well, with the easing of lockdown restrictions, you can do so now. But you must take the proper precautions. This is the new social norm and you have to adjust to it. Here are a few tips that you must follow when meeting friends and family.
