24.08.2023 Publisher: The Royal Society
Journal: Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences
Social distancing measures (SDMs) are community-level interventions that aim to reduce person-toperson contacts in the community, thereby reducing the size and impact of an epidemic or pandemic to protect healthcare capacity. SDMs were a major part of the global response during the COVID-19 pandemic first to contain, then to mitigate, the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in the community. Common SDMs included limiting the size of gatherings, closing schools and/or workplaces, implementing workfrom-home or hybrid work arrangements, or more stringent restrictions on movement such as targeted or blanket lockdowns. In the United Kingdom, SDMs were first implemented in March 2020 with a stayat-home order issued by the end of that month. Subsequently, phased relaxing and tightening of SDMs were carried out as the pandemic evolved. This systematic review summarised the evidence for the effectiveness of nine SDMs around the world, including the United Kingdom.
https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:929243b1-9bcc-4537-8435-5d51bc895621