At a press conference this morning, Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer Theresa Tam asked Canadians to respect social distancing to limit the spread of coronavirus COVID-19.

“One way to do that is through social distancing. Social distancing is an important contribution that everyone can make to our control efforts,” Tam said.

Social distancing is a phrase used by Public Health officials to stop or slow down the spread of a highly contagious virus.

Researchers analyzed past pandemics and discovered that during the 1957-58 Asian flu pandemic, the spread of the disease followed public gatherings. Leading health experts to believe that avoiding crowds will be important in slowing the spread of infection.

Theresa Tam Recommendations

• 1. Avoiding crowded places and non-essential gatherings.
• 2. Shop or take public transport in off-peak hours.
• 3. Greeting one another with a wave or elbow instead of a handshake, kiss or hug.
• 4. Where possible, increase social distancing with others to two arm’s length, approximately two metres.