Coronavirus Update: Health Experts Warn People To Quit PDA Acts To Stop Disease Outbreak

KEY POINTS

Refraining from PDA acts can be one of the easiest ways to prevent COVID-19
WHO recommends staying 3 feet away from those exhibiting symptoms
Health experts also recommend common-sense measure such as washing hands frequently and using single-use tissues etc

Acts of public display of affection (PDA) have been banned during disease outbreaks. History tells us that, back in 1939, King Henry VI of England banned kissing in order to battle the plague. As the world confronts COVID-19, health experts are urging people to refrain from PDA acts, such as kissing- even if it is just a small peck on the cheeks, hugging, and high-fives.

“If coronavirus is circulating in your community, it’s a very prudent thing to do,” Fortune quoted Michael Osterholm, an expert on infectious diseases at the University of Minnesota. “It’s one of the few things you can do yourself to actively reduce your risk,” he added.

Epidemiologists believe that restricting contact could help slow the spread of a disease that’s affected thousands of people and killed more than 2800 people in just two months.

“We needn’t alter our habits for the rest of our lives,” Bloomberg quoted Oxford, who teaches at Queen Mary University in London, who said in a phone interview that she was only suggesting to refrain from PDA until this crisis is resolved.

Although the World Health Organization doesn’t really ban these acts of PDA, its guidelines suggest that it might not be a bad idea to do so. One of the WHO officers who was sent to the outbreak’s epicenter in China praised their social distancing and self-protection measures taken at preventing the spread of infection. It is evident that most affected individuals in China got the infection from the members of their families.

The WHO recommends maintaining a minimum of 3 feet distance between anyone who is sneezing or coughing and avoid close contact with anyone when you are experiencing such symptoms.

Health experts at Geneva recommend avoiding all sorts of physical greetings with people exhibiting symptoms and to maintain at least 1 meter of social distance with them.

Health experts at Paris recommend ‘common sense measures’ such as coughing in one’s sleeve, washing hands on a frequent basis and relying on single-use tissues, etc.

There is also a concern that COVID-19 could be spreading via feces or via certain other tiny particles that could not be prevented by surgical masks.