Physical distancing, also known as social distancing, is being used as a strategy to delay the progression of COVID-19 by reducing direct transmission of infection. The three most used methods are:
Physical Distancing,
Isolation,
Quarantine

Physical Distancing to Prevent the Spread of COVID-19

Disinfectant protocols

- Masks/respirators (N95, etc)
- long-sleeved gowns
- goggles 
- disposable round caps
- latex gloves 
- show covers
-ventilators

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

- The effect of international travel restrictions on internal spread of COVID-19
- The effect of border controls on the risk of COVID-19 reincursion from international arrivals

International/National Travel Restrictions

Weekly surveillance testing along with isolation would more effectively limit COVID-19 outbreaks than the slow and expensive (yet precise) qPCR (quantitative polymerase chain reaction) testing method that is currently employed.

Testing Strategy for Controlling COVID-19 Outbreaks

Social and prevention policies implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic include social (physical) distancing, stay-at-home orders, limits on the maximum number of persons for group gatherings, mass testing, disinfectant protocols, the use of personal protective equipment (PPE), and international or national travel restrictions.

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Smith College

Northwestern University

Emory University

Google

- Economic Policies
- Education Policies
- Medical policies
- Policies by Countries
- Public Health Policies
- Social (and prevention) policies


Types of COVID-19 related policies

Countries have implemented multiple control strategies for reducing the spread of COVID-19, such as closing schools and businesses to enforce social distancing.

Struggle pertaining to controlling the virus:
The epidemiology of the respiratory virus changes rapidly. Reponses have to be nimble. Given that everyone is susceptible to for which we lack effective biologic interventions, the response has required large-scale behavior change, including social distancing and public masking.

Control Strategies for COVID-19

- Current lack of understanding of the prevalence and efficacy of antibodies in individuals exposed to both milder and more acute COVID
- If there is immunity from antibodies, the duration of immunity is unknown
- Subsequent inability to determine how much current herd immunity is in a population or is required to safely reopen economies 
- Present medical and public policy nuances and challenges associated with safe and effective development and distribution of a vaccine to populations

Key Public Health Considerations for COVID-19 Related Policy

- Germany
- Italy
- Russia
- South Korea
- Vietnam

COVID-19 Related Policies by Countries

- Global Economic Policies (High-Income Countries, NATO, EU)

- Global Economic Policies (Lower- and Middle-Income Countries)

- U.S. Economic Policies


Economic Policies in Response to COVID-19

- Nursing Students Working Before Graduation Policy
- Telemedicine Policies Changes Due to COVID-19 in the U.S.A
- Covax: An International Vaccine Effort

Medical Policies in Response to COVID-19

Paul Cairney & Adam Wellstead (2021) COVID-19: effective policymaking depends on trust in experts, politicians, and the public, Policy Design and Practice, 4:1, 1-14, DOI: 10.1080/25741292.2020.1837466

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/25741292.2020.1837466?needAccess=true

COVID-19: effective policymaking depends on trust in experts, politicians, and the public

Social and Prevention Policies Related to the COVID-19 Pandemic

- Decreased accessibility to routine healthcare 
- Decreased usage of hospitals for emergency conditions

Consequences of Control Strategies for COVID-19

Face masks are thought to reduce or prevent transmission of the viral particles through aerosol transmission. The usage of face masks is a controversial topic whose efficacy is disputed by governments, researchers, and the public. Health officials in the early stages of the pandemic advised against the use of face masks for various reasons, although recent developments in the area of research may influence their perspectives.

Face Masks to Prevent the Spread of COVID-19

1. Washing your hands
2. Maintain distance
3. Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth
4. follow good respiratory hygiene
5. Stay home if you feel unwell
6. Keep up to date on the latest COVID-19 hotspots
7. Disinfecting your home if someone is sick

Individual Protection Measures for Preventing the Spread of COVID-19

- Governments around the world have responded to SARS-CoV-2 with unprecedented policies designed to slow the growth of infections.
- Many policies impose large and visible costs on society, but their benefits cannot be directly observed and are only currently understood through process-based simulations. 
- The objective of this study is to measure the direct health benefits of anti-contagion policies, specifically, how much of these policies slowed the growth rate of  infections. 

Effectiveness of Large-Scale Anti-contagion Policies

- BioRxiv
- Health Affairs 
- JAMA
- Journal of Clinical Nursing
- Nursing Education in Practice 
- The BMJ
- The Lancet
- Nature
- New York Times
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS)


References for Control Strategies of COVID-19 by Journal and News Outlets

Celum, C., Al., E., Interview with Dr. Anthony Fauci on progress made during the past four decades of the HIV/AIDS pandemic and ongoing efforts to end this threat.&nbsp;(18:44), Author AffiliationsFrom the Departments of Global Health (C.C., Interview with Dr. Anthony Fauci on progress made during the past four decades of the HIV/AIDS pandemic and ongoing efforts to end this threat. (18:44), J. H. Beigel and Others, . . . M. J. Mina and Others. (2020, May 22). Covid-19, Ebola, and HIV - Leveraging Lessons to Maximize Impact: NEJM. Retrieved October 09, 2020, from https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2022269?query=featured_coronavirus

The New England Journal of Medicine 

Research on the effectiveness of COVID-19 control strategies has yielded varying results across different contexts and populations. The implementation of control strategies successfully decreased the reproduction number ($$R_t$$) in China, and stay-at-home orders were associated with decreased hospitalizations across four states in the U.S. Conversely, shelter-in-place and prevention efforts have been less effective in African American and Latino populations, and international travel restrictions demonstrated little to no effect on local epidemics. Furthermore, national surveys highlight that understanding behavioral changes and public adherence is critical to the overall success of these preventative policies.

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