The term “social distancing” should be familiar to most by now. We have been told repeatedly to practise social distancing. The floors are marked with stickers, seats at hawker centres have been marked as well and queues no longer see “tailgaters” with a distance of 1 metre kept between people.
To combat the spread of COVID-19, our government has put in place restrictions for all events to limit the occasions large crowds gather in close proximity over a prolonged duration. Other safety measures include participants of events sitting a metre apart from one another, better ventilation, not shaking hands and having a contact tracing protocol in place. This would help to prevent unnecessary contact amongst people and hopefully see a reduction in the number of cases in Singapore.
Social Distancing or Safe Distancing
The most obvious thing to do right now is to keep our distance away from people, especially those who might be more vulnerable to sicknesses including the elderly, people undergoing chemotherapy, children with asthma and people who are immunocompromised.
Apart from keeping our distance from people outside – on buses, trains, food centres, malls, ATM queues, we should also keep our distance from people we know such as friends, colleagues and relatives.
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Refraining from attending social gatherings and unnecessary events can help break the chain of transmission. Instead, we have some suggestion of activities which can do while maintaining a healthy distance from others.
Little Day Out’s Ideas of Activities To Do While at Home
1. Pay Virtual Visits
Visiting Grandma or your favourite cousins might not be possible now, but do call loved ones who are unwell via video conferencing tools like Skype or Facetime. Technology can help play a role in keeping us connected even if we have to maintain a distance.
2. Cooking or Baking Class at Home
How about a class to brush up on culinary skills? Go on Youtube where there are plenty of skills to pick up. Be it making burgers, souffle pancakes, noodles – these are useful skills to learn together with the family.
3. Watching a Movie at Home
If you haven’t watched Frozen 2, it has been released online! Some channels are also offering lower subscription rates. Otherwise, it is good to reminisce through the oldies and introduce these goodies to the kiddos via the Mewatch channel.
4. Virtual Marine Biology Camp
Attend a marine biology camp virtually! Oceans Initiative has launched an online camp which screens videos of marine life with live streaming from the lab, complete with colouring pages to fill.
5. Virtual tours of Museums, Zoos & Theme Parks
If you are having cabin fever staying home, preferring to stay away from crowds, how about a virtual tour of museums, zoos and theme parks? This list would last you for some time. It includes online tours of the Louvre, exhibits at Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, the most famous work at Van Gogh Museum, online tours at NASA, live cam at San Diego Zoo, live footage of Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Habitat Exhibit (yes, find Dory’s parents!).
6. Listen to the same audiobook and discuss it with friends
If playdates are postponed, how about trying activities such as listening to the same audiobook and have a discussion after. There are tons to listen to from National Library Board’s shelves via Overdrive and Libby. Some of our favourites include The Magic Treehouse and Winnie the Pooh.
Social Distancing Can Flatten the Curve
Keeping our distance can help reduce the spread of COVID-19. Let’s all do our part, shelve the social events for now and minimise opportunities to meet loved ones for the time being. There is plenty to do as a family. But if anyone is not well, do stay home!
