COVID-19 and the Social Distancing Paradox: dangers and solutions

TL;DR

This study introduces a novel sensor-based dataset on social distancing during COVID-19, revealing behavioral paradoxes and demonstrating how masks and protective gear influence social distancing practices.

Contribution

It provides the first empirical social distancing data during COVID-19 and analyzes how PPE affects social behavior, offering new insights for public health strategies.

Findings

Masks improve social distancing behavior and break paradoxical patterns.

DIY masks can serve as a temporary solution when masks are scarce.

Goggles significantly enhance safety and should be recommended.

Abstract

Background: Without proven effect treatments and vaccines, Social Distancing is the key protection factor against COVID-19. Social distancing alone should have been enough to protect again the virus, yet things have gone very differently, with a big mismatch between theory and practice. What are the reasons? A big problem is that there is no actual social distancing data, and the corresponding people behavior in a pandemic is unknown. We collect the world-first dataset on social distancing during the COVID-19 outbreak, so to see for the first time how people really implement social distancing, identify dangers of the current situation, and find solutions against this and future pandemics. Methods: Using a sensor-based social distancing belt we collected social distance data from people in Italy for over two months during the most critical COVID-19 outbreak. Additionally, we investigated if and how wearing various Personal Protection Equipment, like masks, influences social distancing. Results: Without masks, people adopt a counter-intuitively dangerous strategy, a paradox that could explain the relative lack of effectiveness of social distancing. Using masks radically changes the situation, breaking the paradoxical behavior and leading to a safe social distance behavior. In shortage of masks, DIY (Do It Yourself) masks can also be used: even without filtering protection, they provide social distancing protection. Goggles should be recommended for general use, as they give an extra powerful safety boost. Generic Public Health policies and media campaigns do not work well on social distancing: explicit focus on the behavioral problems of necessary mobility are needed.