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As the coronavirus spreads, many people are wondering what they can do to prevent the disease from increasing its coverage. The most obvious solutions are, of course, frequent hand washing and sanitation, covering one’s mouth when coughing or sneezing, and self-quarantining if you feel unwell. Some health experts have suggested, however, that a good way to prevent the disease from spreading is for people to simply stay away from each other.

Since the virus seems to spread relatively easily between people within a short distance of each other, the obvious solution is to increase that distance. “Social distancing,” as it’s been called, involves a reduction of physical contact, working from home, staying away from large gatherings, and just generally being more private and reserved. Experts have stressed that this would only be a temporary measure until the virus passes.

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However, critics of this notion have spoken up, saying that social distancing could be bad for peoples’ social and mental health. They have argued that social isolation goes against human nature, and could, in fact, lead to a general worsening of health entirely unrelated to the coronavirus.

Nevertheless, considering the number of events that have already been cancelled due to coronavirus concerns, people may not have very many options for socializing, whether they want to or not.