The practice of social distancing was introduced worldwide as a way of fighting the spread of the coronavirus. How has the reduced amount of time with family members and friends impacted us during the confinement? A study by the National Laboratory and the National Research Fund wanted to know more about the specific circumstances.
One of the inquiries was interested in the exact amount of social contacts that a person entertains on a daily basis on average. In 2008, a study determined that Luxembourgers usually have 17.5 social interactions in a day, which has been reduced to 3.2 during the confinement, a decrease of 80%.
Jean-Paul Bertemes, scientist at FNR, reasons that these numbers indicate an elevated level of discipline in the country: “Although the authorities did not conduct as many checks here as they did in other countries, people still adhered to the safety measures put in place.”
The study further reveals that minors had entertained more interactions than adults, while people over the age of 65 had the fewest. Nationality also plays a role, as the Portuguese community had higher amounts of contacts than the Luxembourgish one in second place. Both tallies have decreased in recent weeks.
The study was adapted alongside the lifting of restrictions so that the wearing of masks could be included in the results, which allowed to differentiate between the months of May and June. The amount of interactions experienced a renewed rise to 7.1 on average, which still equals a 60% decrease compared to pre-corona times.
The only downside of the study: since it built on voluntary participation, younger people, older people, and specific nationalities are underrepresented. The study can therefore only be taken as an indicator, but not a complete representation of the current situation.
