How many people before Covid-19 had heard the term ‘social distancing’, still less knew that this topic has been intensively researched since the 1950s? The biomedical world contains the specialists in understanding what is happening at the point where a virus enters (or leaves) your body, but the space between people is studied by other natural, physical, and social scientists.
A continuing problem with scientific advice to government during the pandemic has been the narrow base of recruitment to official channels. These are dominated by biomedical scientists – many of whom are indeed world leaders in their own fields. Other relevant sources of knowledge are, though, either filtered through a biomedical lens or overlooked completely, resulting in the creation of rules often lacking sense or logic.
The justification for social distancing rules is the proposition that the Covid-19 virus is mainly being spread via airborne particles, of varying sizes, which can travel some distance and remain suspended in the air for some time.
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