Sarah Holder and four public health officials examine the inertia of social norms and how the outside force of social distancing is acting upon them.
For many, the long-developed norms about how to be a good neighbor and urban citizen have been entirely upended by the rules of coronavirus. When we develop habits, the simple gestures we’re accustomed to happen without effort, and redirecting them requires a conscious recalibration. The very term “social distance” suggests that you not engage in normal interactions with other people. And yet the strains of a global pandemic demand that we give our best selves to other people if we can.