Keep a safe distance to slow the spread. Limiting close face-to-face contact with others is the best way to reduce the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Now that the new coronavirus and COVID-19, the illness it causes, are spreading among communities in the United States and other countries, phrases such as “physical distancing,” “self-quarantine” and “flattening the curve” are showing up in the media. What do they mean, and how might they apply to you, your family and your community? Lisa Maragakis, M.D., M.P.H. , senior director of infection prevention at Johns Hopkins, helps clarify these concepts so you can understand better why they’re being recommended.

The importance of social connection in the pandemic.

As we’re living the reality of the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve been covering our mouths, washing our hands and practicing “social distancing.” But the conversation is shifting from “social distancing” towards “physical distancing.”