SOCIAL DISTANCING OR PHYSICAL DISTANCING? TOWARDS A REAL PARADIGM TO CONTAIN COVID-19

Abstract

In the time of Corona Virus also known as 'Covid-19', the World Health Organization (WHO) graded the situation as a "pandemic". One of the measures set out in order to contain the disease by all the countries is what they refer to as "social distancing". The term “social distancing” is misleading. What is being actually proposed relates to physical distancing, and deserves to be so described. A more accurate expression "physical distancing," best combined as ‘maintaining social closeness while keeping at a physical distance’. In situations like that of Covid-19, social contact is necessary for the psychological-balance of the people. People would need affectionate love and attention from one another through encouragement, sharing of ideas, readiness to help, communications and new contacts. All these are not possible if people are to distance themselves socially. In this paper, we expose the aberrations and inappropriateness of