U.K – The current directive for keeping approximately 2m apart (6 feet) has been challenged by the Prime Minister Boris Johnson as he shifted the distance from one another in public as a mandated social distance to maintain as 1m (3 feet) apart instead.
The announcement came as a result of the lockdowns easing up and more and more people returning to work and business but experts say that 2m is still more ideal than 1m as the rate of infection is almost doubled at 1m apart compared to 2m which grants an 8% chance of infection as opposed to 1m which runs at double the rates.
The World Health Organization still maintains that at least 1m apart should be adhered as most countries in the world follow the format as long as masks are observed to slow the transmission of the virus.
There are variations to the social distance in many other countries but it’s mostly situational in that the area and the density of population plays a heavy role in it.
In Germany the primary distance to maintain is 1.5m, but in heavier areas such as the cities, it can go from 1.5 to 2m.
Measures were thought about as every country has its own geographical situation and one factor that could allot the 1m rule to succeed is if the length of time spent together is severely minimized so as to reduce the minimum distance to get infected with the COVID virus.
Plastic screens were also advised as they completely block the transferability of infected droplets much more than basic cloth. The directive was heavily advised for spaces where the 1m-2m rule could not occur such as in the train or public transport.
Another strategy was to have the factories or workplaces rotate in shifts to have at least half to quarter the number of people in the offices at a given time- This is where the furlough scheme in the U.K comes in.
Seating rearranged to avoid people sitting facing each other – which can carry more infected droplets towards the person on the opposite side.
Social distancing can reduce the number of infected but some researchers believe that COVID-19 can be passed through the air in the form of aerosols which puts the 2m distance in a similar boat as the 1m arguments, where the COVID-19 virus can still reach them from that distance.
