As the Coronavirus outbreak continues to spread, life in New York like many parts of the world has been greatly affected. In fact, just after China and Italy, the United States has the largest reported confirmed cases of covid-19. More specifically, New York has the large majority of these confirmed cases, making it currently the state with the highest number of cases. 

Because New York has become such a high risk area for this pandemic. Governor Cuomo on multiple occasions has emphasized just how imperative it is to practice social distancing. Social distancing means to limit as much as humanly possible the amount of human interaction we have with one another. This means most businesses are working remotely, social gatherings are strongly discouraged, and no one should be leaving their house for nonessential reasons.

This is obviously very difficult. Most of us have never spent so much time at home, and social distancing means that we have to spend an indeterminate amount of time away from friends and family. So much so that we may ask ourselves why is it so important to practice social distancing? And what is the big deal if I just go to my friends house if I know they aren’t sick. Here are a few reasons why social distancing is so important.

You can flatten the curve

Although serious measures have been taken into effect in many parts around the world, the spread of the virus is only increasing. As time goes on, the goal is to hopefully flatten the curve and slow the spread of new cases. The only way this will happen is if everyone cooperates now so we are not in this scenario longer than we need to. As boring and sedentary as it is being stuck at home now, it’ll only get worse if we don’t practice social distancing and the spread continues to increase.

The Elderly Are At Risk

The death rate of the coronavirus is currently around 4%. This is still an estimation, and the virus poses a much greater risk for the elderly. The majority of cases are not critical, so if you get the virus, most likely it won’t be lethal, and most likely it’ll feel like a bad cold of flu. Because of this you might feel that you are not worried about getting the virus, and not care about the social distancing because of this. However, if you prevent yourself from getting it or spreading it, you could be saving the lives of the elderly. If nothing else, practice social distancing to make life safer for others.

Someone Who Isn’t Sick May Still Have the Virus

The virus can be in any given person for a couple of weeks before symptoms show. Most will show symptoms within eleven days, but it is possible for that to extend beyond 14 days. Therefore, it is possible that you or someone else you know may have the virus and you don’t realize it yet because the symptoms haven’t started. This isn’t meant to scare you, but to emphasize the fact that if everyone practiced social distancing for a few weeks, the spread can go down.

Some Can Have Coronavirus with Little or No Symptoms

There are many reported cases of people who tested positive with covid-19 and never experienced any symptoms. This is especially concerning because this means anyone could have had the virus and spread it without any knowledge of it. As it is, tests for coronavirus are limited, so people can only get tested if they are experiencing symptoms. This means people who have mild or no symptoms will not get tested for the virus, but they can still spread it to others who could get sick, and possibly die. Social distancing prevents this scenario.

We strongly encourage everyone to listen to the serious authorities and the measures that they instill for New Yorkers and Americans to slow the spread of the coronavirus. At Palermo Law, we have taken the measures necessary to handle cases for our clients while still practicing social distancing. We hope everyone does the same and stays safe and healthy.