Proof that social distancing works

Social distancing worked to limit the spread of the coronavirus in the United States and may have prevented tens of millions of infections, according to a new study.

  

The study, published Thursday in the journal Health Affairs, found that government-imposed social distancing cut the virus’ daily growth rate by about 9% after two to three weeks.

Without any social distancing measures at all, the number of coronavirus cases in the US could have been 35 times higher, the researchers estimated.

“Our paper illustrates the potential danger of exponential spread in the absence of interventions, providing relevant information to strategies for restarting economic activity,” they wrote.

  

Shelter-in-place orders – and the closure of restaurants and bars – seemed particularly effective at slowing the spread of the virus, the researchers found.