Social distancing: The new normal?

            We live in unusual times that have called for unusual measures to deal with the spread of COVID-19. The spread of the virus and the number of lives being lost has precipitated such measures. The unknown factors about the virus and the small window of time to implement mitigation have also pressured leaders to act quickly and implement radical measures like social distancing. The goal of such measures is a noble one that everyone agrees with– we must save lives.
            I have no problem with our immediate desire to slow the spread of this deadly virus and minimize the fatalities. That certainly is understandable. But I do have a serious concern about the potential long term effects our current mitigation efforts may have if embraced as normative after the pandemic is over. After a vaccine is in use and the pandemic has ended, will people relate to each other again with a handshake or a high five? Will friends see each other and embrace with a hug as before? Will extended families embrace when they gather for the holidays? Will churches welcome their guests with a warm handshake? Or will there be this ingrained paranoia that prevents people from physical contact after the pandemic has subsided? That’s a significant concern with drastic consequences. I’ve heard some refer to our current “social distancing” as the “new normal.” I strongly protest such an idea. Social distancing must never become the new normal. It may be a temporary mitigation measure, but must never be the “new normal.”
            One of the problems with that notion is that God created us as socially interactive beings. The one item that God declared ‘not good’ in the Garden of Eden was the fact that Adam was alone. God said it was ‘not good’ for man to be alone. God as a relational being made us in His image as relational beings. This relational element includes physical touch. Throughout scripture we read about people connecting through touch, friends embracing one another, and even Paul and Peter exhorting believers to greet each other with a kiss. Physical touch permeates scripture.
            We also notice that Jesus modeled physical touch throughout His ministry. Jesus raised a girl from the dead by taking her hand and speaking to her. He touched the eyes of a blind man to heal him. He even reached out and touched a leper while the man was still leprous to bring healing to him. Jesus understood the significance of human touch because He made us. As a result, He modeled that in His own ministry.
            This need for human touch, however, is not only found on the pages of Scripture. Modern research has demonstrated the significant benefits of human touch as well-- even health benefits. Research has shown that affirming touch can reduce stress, lower blood pressure, alleviate pain, and even boost the immune system.
 https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/323143#Benefits-for-health)
            One study conducted in 2014 involved 404 healthy adults quarantined and exposed to a cold virus. The study “examined the roles of perceived social support and received hugs in buffering against interpersonal stress-induced susceptibility to infectious disease.”  In other words, how would people's health be affected by the social support they feel they are getting and through physical hugs. The results of the study: “Among infected participants, greater perceived support and more-frequent hugs each predicted less-severe illness signs.”
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0956797614559284
            Maybe that seems simplistic, but that is the evidence. The study showed that a hug can even help people more effectively deal with an illness. That is one study among many detailing the positive health benefits of physical touch. Lack of touch can result in a weakened immune system, higher blood pressure, and greater depression. Our bodies were made by God to interact with others through physical touch whether that be a handshake, a hug, a high five or just a pat on the back. If social distancing becomes the “new normal”, then we will see another health crisis sweep the globe, which I believe would exact a greater toll on humanity and last much longer.
            During this pandemic we need to practice social distancing. But I look at it as a temporary, necessary evil, not the new normal. It must never become the new normal. That’s not how God designed us.


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