Vertical insulation and horizontal insulation are two types of social distancing that can be adopted in the face, for example, of a pandemic. In vertical isolation, there is the isolation of just one group of people; in horizontal isolation, there is no selection of specific groups, being recommended that everyone stay at home. Social isolation measures are harsh and often criticized by the population, but they are necessary to stop the progress of a disease.
Read too: What is quarantine?
What is isolation?
When we talk about isolation, we are referring to a situation in which a person must be completely isolated, that is, without contact with anyone. This is done when a person is demonstrably sick, and the objective is to keep her away from social life. That isolation can be hospital or home.
Currently the term isolation is used by many to refer to measures of social distancing. This distance seeks to avoid contact between one person and another in order to reduce the spread of a disease.
In social distancing, it is recommended, for example, that the person stay at home, avoiding going out unnecessarily and also crowding. It is also recommended to close schools, businesses and non-essential activities. O home office it should be adopted in cases where this type of form of work is allowed.
Social distancing is an important measure to ensure the health of a population facing a disease. This distance helps to reduce the number of cases of the disease and also prevents a collapse of the health system. This measure was adopted, for example, in various places around the world during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite being a tough measure, it was essential to stop the spread of the disease in China, for example.
Read too: COVID-19 - the pandemic that has generated the implementation of social distancing
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Vertical insulation x horizontal insulation
O vertical insulation it is the one in which only a few groups are isolated, being selected the groups that present more risks of developing the disease or those that can present a more serious condition. Take, for example, the COVID-19 pandemic. As the groups at greatest risk for developing this disease and presenting a more severe form are the elderly and people with problems such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, in cases of vertical isolation, only they would be isolated. Young, healthy people could therefore continue to circulate normally.
In the case of COVID-19, for example, it is not clear whether this measure would be advantageous, as young people are important vectors of the disease, the number of infected individuals could increase rapidly.
O horizontal isolation, however, does not limit groups and therefore everyone must stay at home. This restricts contact between people as much as possible, thus preventing a wide spread of the disease. Horizontal isolation, however, is much criticized for causing serious impacts on the economy. However, it is often essential to prevent an unbridled increase in the disease, which can lead to a collapse of the health system, which would also cause economic damage.
By Vanessa Sardinha dos Santos
Biology teacher
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
SANTOS, Vanessa Sardinha dos. "Vertical and horizontal isolation"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/curiosidades/isolamento-vertical-e-horizontal.htm. Accessed on June 27, 2021.
