Man In Italy Demonstrates Proper ‘Social Distancing’ In Viral Video

Amid all the scares and panic surrounding the coronavirus outbreak, one Italian man provided a slight comic relief to the situation. This man has been spotted in a “social-distancing” doughnut, a measure he thought necessary to keep a distance from people who may be carriers of the deadly virus.

The footage, which had been shared last week, shows the man as he walked around wearing a large yellow saucer. The saucer is suspended on him with straps. While walking around, another man can be heard in the background asking him if “this would be a safe distance?” The man answered in the affirmative, adding that what he was doing was a preventive measure to avoid catching COVID-19.

The circulating video, according to Fox News, was caught in Rome’s Mercato Testaccio, a well-known food market found in the Testaccio district near the southern part of the city’s center. Users have referred to the disc as a “doughnut” although it wasn’t heard in the video whether the man or anyone else around him said it was such.

While people may think the man will have a problem getting into that market or getting out, what he is doing isn’t wrong at all. The Time reports that this is the kind of “social distancing” included in the CDC’s recommendation. The other two methods are to avoid large crowds or mass gatherings, opt out of congregating, and keep one’s distance from other people who might possibly be carriers.

According to further explanation, this kind of prevention is not similar to isolation or self-quarantine. Quarantine or isolation entails the restriction of movement for people in an area (for the former) and keeping one’s self in solitude (for the latter). Distancing is a behavioral practice where people keep their distance to lower the risk of infection.

The Italian man just presented a low-key but effective way of doing social distancing, but it’s an effective demonstration of how to avoid getting infectious droplets. The virus can spread through droplets of saliva or mucus from infected people (who cough or sneeze), which can be spread from a distance of roughly six feet.