Skip to main content
Saturday, November 14, 2026Nov 14
Subscribe
All Sections
Search
More

How social distancing works and what it means for you

Friends, from left, Erin Carroll of Severna Park, Md., Clay Colehouse of Crownsville, Md., Jessica Goblin of Severna Park, Md., Travis Victorio of Millersville, Md., Mary Fitzell of Millersville, Md., and dog Marty, enjoy lunch during a visit to Annapolis, Monday, March 16, 2020. Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan ordered the closure of bars, restaurants, gyms and movie theaters across the state in response to coronavirus beginning at 5 p.m. Monday. Drive-thru, carryout and delivery service will still be allowed. The friends gathered for lunch because they are home from college. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Friends, from left, Erin Carroll of Severna Park, Md., Clay Colehouse of Crownsville, Md., Jessica Goblin of Severna Park, Md., Travis Victorio of Millersville, Md., Mary Fitzell of Millersville, Md., and dog Marty, enjoy lunch during a visit to Annapolis, Monday, March 16, 2020. Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan ordered the closure of bars, restaurants, gyms and movie theaters across the state in response to coronavirus beginning at 5 p.m. Monday. Drive-thru, carryout and delivery service will still be allowed. The friends gathered for lunch because they are home from college. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

By MIKE STOBBE / AP Medical Writer 5 min read

NEW YORK (AP) – Can my kids go on a play date? Is it OK if I visit the gym?

In this time of coronavirus, once-easy questions have suddenly become complex.

Here are some questions and answers about the “social distancing” efforts to slow the epidemic in the U.S.

WHAT IS SOCIAL DISTANCING?

Social distancing are practices implemented by public health officials to keep contagious diseases from spreading.