Chennai: Researchers have confirmed that implementation of physical distancing policies nationally is associated with significant reductions in transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, that causes Covid-19, and reduced community mobility.
Published in the journal Plos One, the study found that physical distancing policies enacted nationally in 46 countries prevented an estimated 1.57 million cases of Covid-19 over a two-week period, representing a 65 per cent reduction in new cases.
Scientists emphasise the significant benefits that can be achieved by individuals practising social distancing measures.
“From our data-driven analysis, it became clear that practising social distancing can have a huge impact on transmission rates,” according to Raghu Kalluri, a professor at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in the US.
Analysing the effects of social distancing policies globally, the researchers were able to obtain sufficient data for 46 countries with national social distancing policies, 74 nations without such policies and 14 with regional policies.
The data indicate that significantly greater reductions in transmission were seen in countries after implementing a national social distancing policy compared to those with regional policies or a matched time frame in countries without policies, the researchers said.