People are letting down their guard in the fight against coronavirus. Social distancing has gone down a bit since mid-April, according to cell data.
But to protect your health and the economy, you should keep on social distancing. Don’t shake people’s hands, because that spreads germs. Wear a mask around strangers and crowds. As doctors have explained, “The end of stay-at-home orders doesn’t mean COVID isn’t a problem.” It just “means they have room for you at the ICU.”
If infections rise, that will be cited by governors to shut down state economies even longer. That will wipe out even more jobs, and bankrupt even more businesses. Keep infections from rising by engaging in social distancing.
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Social distancing makes sense even if you think most Americans will ultimately be exposed to the coronavirus, or that the disease will only stop spreading after “herd immunity” is reached. As law professor Glenn Reynolds notes:
there’s some evidence that lower viral load on infection means milder cases. If so, you want to continue taking precautions so that even if you are inevitably infected, it’ll be a lighter case. There’s also the possibility that the virus will weaken with time, as often happens, and that better treatment protocols will develop, as seems to be happening. All of that would seem to argue in favor of trying to postpone infection [by taking precautions].
