page_title: Social distancing
section_title: Canceling mass gatherings
hierarchical_section_title: Social distancing / Measures / Canceling mass gatherings
caption_attribution_description: English: Socially distanced street party for the 75th Anniversary of VE Day, Montagu Road, Wetherby, West Yorkshire. Taken on the afternoon of bank holiday Friday the 8th of May 2020.
context_page_description: In public health, social distancing, also called physical distancing, is a set of non-pharmaceutical interventions or measures intended to prevent the spread of a contagious disease by maintaining a physical distance between people and reducing the number of times people come into close contact with each other. It typically involves keeping a certain distance from others and avoiding gathering together in large groups.
  By minimising the probability that a given uninfected person will come into physical contact with an infected person, the disease transmission can be suppressed, resulting in fewer deaths. The measures may be used in combination with others, such as good respiratory hygiene, face masks and hand washing. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Health Organization suggested favoring the term "physical distancing" as opposed to "social distancing", as it is a physical separation which prevents transmission; people can remain socially connected via technology.
context_section_description: Cancellation of mass gatherings includes sports events, films or musical shows. Evidence suggesting that mass gatherings increase the potential for infectious disease transmission is inconclusive. Anecdotal evidence suggests certain types of mass gatherings may be associated with increased risk of influenza transmission, and may also "seed" new strains into an area, instigating community transmission in a pandemic. During the 1918 influenza pandemic, military parades in Philadelphia and Boston may have been responsible for spreading the disease by mixing infected sailors with crowds of civilians. Restricting mass gatherings, in combination with other social distancing interventions, may help reduce transmission. A recent peer-reviewed study in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) also suggested it as one of the key components of an effective strategy in reducing the burden of COVID-19.
caption: VE Day celebrations took place under lockdown; here a socially distanced street party is taking place on Hallfield Estate, Wetherby.
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