WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE? – Social Distancing, Isolation and Quarantine
You probably thought these words meant the same thing right?
NO, they don’t. There is a thing line between the three. They are all practices utilized to prevent and stop the spread of a virus. We hereby bring this to your understanding to educate us on what the terms are and why they have been used differently.
What is Social Distancing?
Social distancing also known as physical distancing is a behavioralpractice by individuals to prevent or lower the risk of contracting a virus.
There are ways in which one can practice this which includes but not limited to:
Staying at least 2 meters from people, avoiding handshakes, avoiding crowds, avoiding close contacts with people and most importantly, staying at home if you’re feeling sick.
Social distancing does not mean you won’t communicate with people anymore, it just involves the habit of practicing communication at a safe distance in order to live a healthy life. More habits involves frequently washing of hands, cleaning of frequently used or touched surfaces and objects, disinfecting, fumigating etc.
In general, practicing cleanliness and having improved hygiene is social distancing!
What is Isolation?
This is a state of being detached or away from other people. It helps to manage the spread of a virus. Something we can relate with is when trying to break an egg. If the shell falls into the yoke, we try to remove (separate) the shell from the yoke. This, is isolation.
Hence, isolation helps to separateinfected people or people who have been exposed to the virus from coming in contact with others, in order to control or stop the possible spread of the virus.
What is Quarantine?
This is an imposedisolation on a person, a group or a community. It helps to restrict the movement of people who have been exposed to a virus. The period of quarantine helps to see if one is sick or not.
We hope you understand the meaning of these terms and their relevance to the global pandemic; COVID-19.