Social Distancing in the Midst of COVID-19
2020
This case vignette will be most useful to high-school educators looking to introduce COVID-19 to their classroom. The case focuses on understanding why local and federal governments need to "implement guidelines for social distancing".
Students will learn what "social distancing" means, and how it can involve population-based measures such as canceling group events and closing public spaces as well as individual-level behavior change such as staying home, working remotely, and avoiding of crowds. Students will become familiar with the phrase and meaning of ‘flattening the curve,’ which refers to the potential effectiveness of using social distancing measures to prevent surges of sick patients requiring intensive care that could overwhelm the capacity of the health care system.
Social Distancing in the Midst of COVID-19
Source:
Cochrane JC. Social Distancing in the Midst of COVID-19. National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science 2020. https://www.nsta.org/ncss-case-study/social-distancing-midst-covid-19.