This article is part of the following series: Dispatches from the pandemic
The main public critique levelled at the UK government’s “Stay Home” campaign was its failure to be implemented fast enough, and the abandonment of community contact tracing in its wake. Beyond all expectations, the UK public proved “highly compliant” in staying home (even too much so) according to a recent report. A powerful new “spatial and moral logic” (…
This article is part of the following series: Dispatches from the pandemic
Sydney’s Bondi Beach in January 2012. Photo: Alex ProimosAs sometimes happens in Sydney in late March, toward the end of summer, that particular Friday was brilliantly hot and sunny, drawing crowds to the eastern beaches, especially Bondi. An exceptionally large stretch of sand, an outspread stage in a natural amphitheater, popular with backpackers and other foreign visitors, the beach …
We have heard a lot about social distancing as a containment measure for COVID-19 in the past few weeks, mostly articulated as practical ‘do’s and don’ts.’ However, there has been little critical discussion about what the term actually means. Social distancing is a multi-faceted practice ridden with inconsistencies, and its implementation as a public health strategy presents many challenges. In …