COVID-19: Social Disease and Public Prudence

• Main Author: Murphy, Peter
• Format: text
• Published: Archīum Ateneo 2024
• Subjects: anxiety; balance; community immunity; coronavirus; COVID-19; crowds; death; economic lockdown; explanation; families; fear of death; haptics; high-contact cultures; low-contact cultures; modeling; pathogen; panic; predictions; proportionality; proxemics; public policy; quarantines; reproduction number; social disease; social distancing; virus
• Online Access: https://archium.ateneo.edu/budhi/vol24/iss1/2; https://archium.ateneo.edu/context/budhi/article/1477/viewcontent/Budhi_2024.1_202_20Article_20__20Murphy.pdf
• Institution: Ateneo De Manila University

The article profiles the social aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic including the social component of virus transmission, the parallels between national and regional social distancing habits, and the impact of COVID-19 on populations. The interaction of low-contact and high-contact cultures with the COVID-19 virus is analyzed. The public policy response is examined with particular reference to proportionality in decision-making. The article explores the role of mid-range, balanced policies and temperate, moderate actions in dealing with a serious public health issue.