Social Distancing

[temporal1]

My mother calls it “emotional distancing”.

Sadly, this may be the goal of some.
It’s up to WE the people to refuse to let this happen. Technology, even the old land line telephones, allow personal interaction across distances that was UNKNOWN throughout most of history. Today, we have infinitely more than land line phones.

It’s possible to obey laws and not lose one’s humanity. It’s been done throughout history, esp as Jesus invited and modeled.

(i think) “social” distance is a poor choice of wording.
“physical” distance is more accurate, isn’t it? measured space.

YES!

[Signtist]

When asked to do signage with "Social distancing" in the wording, I change it to "Physical distancing." Never had anyone reject a proof. It's a small thing...

[silentreader]

This from CBC news.

Union calls for distancing, capacity limits at universities
Meanwhile, a union representing workers on university campuses in Ontario is calling for the government to put classroom capacity limits and distancing requirements in place.

Ontario announced earlier this month that it wouldn't require distancing or class caps when post-secondary institutions resume in-person learning.

CUPE Ontario represents workers — including those in administrative, food service, research, and teaching assistant positions — on 17 university campuses.

President Fred Hahn says that the universities' proof-of-vaccination and mandatory masking policies are not enough to stop the spread of the Delta variant of COVID-19.

He says he's hearing from members that classrooms are packed with sometimes hundreds of people, and he calls that a "recipe for disaster."

A spokeswoman for the Ministry of Colleges and Universities said earlier that schools are able to institute their own, stricter rules.

Anyone on post-secondary school campus in Ontario is required to be fully vaccinated or have a legitimate proof of exemption, which is extremely difficult to obtain

[Bootstrap]

In general, I don't think I have the right to impose risks on other people. Especially risks that they would not choose for themselves. This reminds me of the smokers who insisted they had the right to smoke wherever they want because they did not believe the science on second hand smoking.

I don't know who is medically vulnerable. I don't know if they would feel free to speak up. I do know some people who are very nervous about simple things like going shopping because other people are not considerate.

I also find it rather strange to hear so many Mennonites insisting on their rights these days, even when that might inconvenience others.

To me, if it is a space where everyone agrees on the same rules, that's different. But in general public spaces, that's not usually the case.

[temporal1]

When asked to do signage with "Social distancing" in the wording, I change it to "Physical distancing."
Never had anyone reject a proof. It's a small thing...

glad to read this.
in my small world, i use the words and emphasis, “physical distance.” not 1 criticism. people smile.
i see the words now+then. very rarely used by politicians.

In reality, those attempting to observe distance, and mask, are doing so largely because social responsibility is so important!


It’s an unfortunate choice of words that is, at best, inaccurate, and, worse, emotionally destructive.
i see people trying to survive+respect each other. that’s NOT social distance! it’s just a little physical space. that’s all.

[Josh]

In general, I don't think I have the right to impose risks on other people. Especially risks that they would not choose for themselves. This reminds me of the smokers who insisted they had the right to smoke wherever they want because they did not believe the science on second hand smoking.

I don't know who is medically vulnerable. I don't know if they would feel free to speak up. I do know some people who are very nervous about simple things like going shopping because other people are not considerate.

I also find it rather strange to hear so many Mennonites insisting on their rights these days, even when that might inconvenience others.

To me, if it is a space where everyone agrees on the same rules, that's different. But in general public spaces, that's not usually the case.

Comparing refusing an experimental vaccine many believe to involve aborted fetal cells is really different than exhaling second hand smoke on people. I think it’s an unfair comparison.

There has never been an expectation of everyone to take an experimental drug before, either. It’s a completely new societal expectation.

[Ernie]

When asked to do signage with "Social distancing" in the wording, I change it to "Physical distancing." Never had anyone reject a proof. It's a small thing...

Yes, I don't believe in social distancing but I do practice physical distancing whenever there is a higher likelihood of transmitting a virus.

[Bootstrap]

In general, I don't think I have the right to impose risks on other people. Especially risks that they would not choose for themselves. This reminds me of the smokers who insisted they had the right to smoke wherever they want because they did not believe the science on second hand smoking.

I don't know who is medically vulnerable. I don't know if they would feel free to speak up. I do know some people who are very nervous about simple things like going shopping because other people are not considerate.

I also find it rather strange to hear so many Mennonites insisting on their rights these days, even when that might inconvenience others.

To me, if it is a space where everyone agrees on the same rules, that's different. But in general public spaces, that's not usually the case.

Comparing refusing an experimental vaccine many believe to involve aborted fetal cells is really different than exhaling second hand smoke on people. I think it’s an unfair comparison.

This thread is about facemasks and keeping some distance from others. To me, it seems very similar to the second-hand smoke issue. Except that second-hand smoke did not kill 1 out of every 500 Americans in the last year and a half.

When I see people who refuse to wear facemasks and also refuse to keep a distance, I suspect they are also less likely to be vaccinated. And they are not taking other precautions either. That means they are choosing risks for me that I do not want to take. But it's worse for friends of mine who are older or immuno-compromised. So if people look at you and think that you are endangering other people's health during a pandemic, what kind of witness is that?

Since when did Mennonites, of all people, insist so much on asserting their own rights over the concerns of others around them? Whatever happened to all those teachings about "my rights"?

[Bootstrap]

I am not sure about the science on this. In the beginning they showed the coronavirus as if it was floating around everywhere and you couldn't Dodge it if you tried.

I think this page is a fair summary of our current understandings:

Scientific Brief: SARS-CoV-2 Transmission

And yes, we know more now than we did in the early days. For instance, surfaces are less of a concern than we once thought. And there is still some uncertainty.

Although animal studies and epidemiologic investigations (in addition to those described above) indicate that inhalation of virus can cause infection, the relative contributions of inhalation of virus and deposition of virus on mucous membranes remain unquantified and will be difficult to establish. Despite these knowledge gaps, the available evidence continues to demonstrate that existing recommendations to prevent SARS-CoV-2 transmission remain effective. These include physical distancing, community use of well-fitting masks (e.g., barrier face coverings, procedure/surgical masks), adequate ventilation, and avoidance of crowded indoor spaces. These methods will reduce transmission both from inhalation of virus and deposition of virus on exposed mucous membranes. Transmission through soiled hands and surfaces can be prevented by practicing good hand hygiene and by environmental cleaning.

[Josh]

In general, I don't think I have the right to impose risks on other people. Especially risks that they would not choose for themselves. This reminds me of the smokers who insisted they had the right to smoke wherever they want because they did not believe the science on second hand smoking.

I don't know who is medically vulnerable. I don't know if they would feel free to speak up. I do know some people who are very nervous about simple things like going shopping because other people are not considerate.

I also find it rather strange to hear so many Mennonites insisting on their rights these days, even when that might inconvenience others.

To me, if it is a space where everyone agrees on the same rules, that's different. But in general public spaces, that's not usually the case.

Comparing refusing an experimental vaccine many believe to involve aborted fetal cells is really different than exhaling second hand smoke on people. I think it’s an unfair comparison.

This thread is about facemasks and keeping some distance from others. To me, it seems very similar to the second-hand smoke issue. Except that second-hand smoke did not kill 1 out of every 500 Americans in the last year and a half.

When I see people who refuse to wear facemasks and also refuse to keep a distance, I suspect they are also less likely to be vaccinated. And they are not taking other precautions either. That means they are choosing risks for me that I do not want to take. But it's worse for friends of mine who are older or immuno-compromised. So if people look at you and think that you are endangering other people's health during a pandemic, what kind of witness is that?

Since when did Mennonites, of all people, insist so much on asserting their own rights over the concerns of others around them? Whatever happened to all those teachings about "my rights"?

Boot,

What’s the established science on how much social distance we should be keeping from strangers?

You’re claiming it’s equivalent to second hand smoke. There’s lots and lots of research on second hand smoke. So what’s the research and science behind telling me I need to keep a 6 ft. distance from strangers?