The arguments in favour lifting the lockdowns must be getting more support these days.
But one more study has found that social distancing steps effectively check the spread of the deadly coronavirus. This was proved well in Wuhan City where the disease started.
The study was done by an international team of scientists from China, Italy, and the United States. The team analyzed contact survey data from 636 participants in Wuhan City, in Hubei Province, and 557 participants in Shanghai, China.
It was found that social distancing alone, as imposed during the peak of the pandemic, was enough to control the spread of Covid-19. They found that the daily contacts were decreased by seven to eight-fold during the social or physical distancing period, with most interactions occurring only in the household.
Before social distancing measures were implemented, the average interpersonal contacts were between 14 and 20 people per day in Wuhan and Shanghai. It dropped to about two contacts per day in both locations.
The results also reveal that from 78 percent to 94 percent of these contacts only occur at home, between family members or housemates. With all the data gathered, the team used the survey data and contact tracing data in Hunan Province to develop a mathematical model of the COVID-19 transmission dynamics.
