COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by WHO around mid-March and has infected more than 6 million people worldwide. It is speculated that the virus won’t disappear on its own and one must learn to live with it and protect its own self.
The government has asked us to take precautionary measures and be self-responsible when it comes to monitoring the spread of the infection.
On the one hand, the authorities are under pressure to ease the lockdown considering its crippling effect on the economy whereas, on the other hand, there has been a spike in the number of cases each day.
Since we all know COVID-19 cannot be fully eradicated until a vaccine is developed; the only choice we have to survive is by gradually adapting to the new normal of face masks and social distancing.
The entire world is trying hard to fight the coronavirus crisis by devising new strategies to contain the spread of the virus. Scientists from around the world are also engaged in intense research and study to develop novel ways of fighting the coronavirus.
One such study suggests that ‘social bubbles’ are a more effective way of fighting against the virus and has shown a remarkable result in containing the spread of the disease.
What Is A Social Bubble?
According to a recent study by Oxford University, the ‘social bubble’ is a strategic way to fight the spread of the virus by limiting one’s social interaction to only certain individuals in a circle and not adding any new person to their bubble.
In other words, a social bubble refers to meeting some specific people during a pandemic amongst a particular group, and that group is exclusive to a particular household or locality, minimizing the possibility of coming across another different group. Such a strategy is devised to gradually get back to our normal lives while restricting chain transmission.
How Effective Is A Social Bubble In Comparison To Social Distancing?
While social distancing tells us to maintain a certain distance with individuals around and avoid interacting or talking with anyone; a social bubble allows us to socialize with a close set of people on a regular basis.
It is set to be more effective as it limits the risk of spreading the virus to certain people in a bubble while also getting the world back on track.
A social bubble also reduces the psychological and financial impact of the pandemic by giving way to some normal functioning within a circle which can be easily traced.
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Such a strategy has been successful in countries like New Zealand and has given way to easing the lockdown in an effective way.
Learning from the same, more and more countries are coming forward to adopt this method and enter into lifting of curbs enforced due to coronavirus.
Is India Ready To Incorporate Social Bubble?
According to reports by ICMR, India is yet to witness its COVID-19 peak said to come around mid-June-July, which is very alarming news for all of us.
After imposing a stringent lockdown for more than two months, the government has decided to enter the unlocking phase so as to stabilize the economy.
But the latest spike in cases suggests that it’s a bad idea to ease the lockdown at such a crucial stage of the virus spread. While people are advised to practice social distancing and take preventive measures, the idea of a social bubble is yet to be adopted.
Learning from the patterns in other countries and keeping in mind the huge population density of our country, there is a possibility that social bubbling might be a successful idea. But this might not be the best time to implement the same.
As of now, the only possible way to fight the virus is by staying in and going out only if absolutely necessary. Health experts from ICMR say that India has entered the community transmission stage of the virus and thus containing the spread of the virus should be a priority!
Image credits: Google Images
Sources: Indian Express, CNBC, Daily Mail
Find the Blogger: @ZehraYameena
This post is tagged under: techniques that helped, strategies that worked, New Zealand, how to contain the virus, how to stop transmission, how to stop the spread of the coronavirus, covid 19, social bubbles, social interaction, meet people in small groups, what is a social bubble, does it work, is it effective
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