SOCAL BUBBLE

-By Upasna Mitra

A bubble can be defined as a group of people with whom we
can have a close contact. “if we interact within this small
group of people, we can prevent the virus spreading further”-
says Oxford university sociologist Per Block told Euronews.
Bubbles allow some people more contact with others, while
keeping social distancing measures in place ‘If I am in bubble
with nine people, I can only spread the virus to them and they
cannot spread it any further’.
Bubble can also be known as Quarran-team. It might be
awkward, difficult and even risky. But joining a social bubble
might just save your sanity. Kids are increasingly missing
their play time, youngsters are facing mental issues due to
the isolation because we all are habituated of meeting
people, going out, having parties etc. we all miss our chit-
chats over chai. The reality is, people need social contact and
creating a bubble that is keeping yourself close to other
people who are close to you like family members, relatives
and close friends in neighbourhood, can actually help you
out.
Social distancing due to the effects of covid-19 has a
profound impact on the mental well-being of people. Many of
the consequences of the isolation measures are key factors of
mental health issues including suicide, self-harm, substance
misuse, domestic and child abuse. Levels of loneliness,
depression are expected to rise. The rate of this mental issue
is likely up and are still climbing.
Certainly, there are ways to be social without making
bubble. The ideal option, of course, is to gather over video
calls, over face time, or google duo- no germs involved. But
children cannot follow this, it can be tough to keep young
kids under control ( said Jamie Jirout PHD an educational
psychologist at the university of Virgina’s curry school of
education and human development) As they do not have that
amount of self- control as the adolescence, inhibitory control
does not develop till adolescence. Moreover, it can be seen
that younger generation are not actually following the
guidelines of lockdown they are mixing with every random
person they meet. Because of this concern carefully chosen
people for the bubble can contribute towards a safety
interaction of people.
You can create your own bubble like for example you can
interact with four of your close friends living in your
neighbourhood by keeping few things in mind that the
infectious disease not get spread. First, make sure that the
members of your bubble are following the preventive
measures against the virus. Secondly the members of your
bubble are not mixing with random people, and are only
limited to one or two bubble. Make sure you are wearing
masks and carrying sanitizer whenever you hang out and eat
together in, bubbles. Also make sure that you get a
commitment from your team that they are not violating the
rules of bubble. Make sure that your area is not under the
containment zone and you are not causing any harm to other
members of the society. The smaller the bubble, the better.
Every additional person you add adds in more risk for the
everybody else in the group.
The idea of social bubble is based on New Zealand’s model of
‘household’ bubbles- an exclusive social group that is allowed
to meet with each other amid the pandemic. The country
followed this approach during the lockdown and allowed the
expansions of the bubble as transmission slowed and
restrictions eased. A new study published in nature human
behaviour suggests that one of the ways of effective social
distancing strategies to keep the Covid-19 include the idea of
social bubbles. Simple behavioural rules can go a long way
keeping the curve flat.
Research published by London school of economics and
Political science said that the concept of social bubbles
proved effective for New Zealand since it allowed people who
were isolated, vulnerable or struggling to receive the care
and support they needed. Further such a policy can be an
effective policy for all other countries to encourage
compliance with social distancing regulations while meeting
care and support needs.
During the current lockdown, a social bubble is limited to the
members of household with whom one interacts on daily
basis. However, as things normalise and conditions in general
improve, this bubble can grow larger. It can include close
friends and relatives and neighbours. This in later stage can
expand further and include any person with whom we may
need to get in contact with our daily lives.
The idea is that if people decide to expand their bubble
gradually and make sure that they meet and contact only
those people who are inside the social bubble, the risk of the
spread of Covid-19 can be limited.
Many countries have either taken steps or have initiated the
process of social bubble including UK, Germany and New
Zealand.
On a sociological perspective, social bubbles can actually
work if we keep in mind the preventive measures. But it also
gives space to the risk of spreading the virus. As many people
are not that committed like others, they can make false
promises and bring the virus into the bubble. Creating social
bubble is really a hard task as it requires proper knowledge
about the disease and the how it can spread. But it can also
act as a stress reliver and can save mostly the younger
generation from mental issues caused from sudden isolation.
The rules are important, because even small breaches of
bubbles would create a “significant risk of increasing the
transmission”.