Authors Keywords: Social Distancing, Health Care Services, COVID-19, Postpartum Abstract

This study focuses on social and physical distancing narratives during the outbreak of Covid-19 in India. Researchers have attempted to explore the trajectory of discursive practices that define social and physical distancing and its impact on human psychology. Further, the study looks at the communication strategies that have been mediated to create a mediatised reality focused on keeping a safe distance from one another to prevent the spread of the virus that caused self-isolation, compelled quarantine, and worry over health issues like psychological distress, Depression, and mental anxiety. Researchers have incorporated Critical Discourse Analysis espoused by Norman Fairclough in critically analysing the narratives around societal and cultural practices that are an integral part of behavioural patterns in society. The implementation of physical distancing in India happened because many communities were understanding social distancing along the lines of caste. Caste discrimination in India is prevalent in some communities and through the concept of social distancing, distancing manifested as dismissal, discrimination, and the imposition of social restriction on individuals who belong to certain castes. It has established a new psychological misconception that leads us to change our behavioral patterns and our approach to humanity even during the times of pandemic. One of the major highlights of the study despite the efforts made by the government, media, and other institutions discriminatory practices existed.

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1.

Verma A. “Physical Distancing is Better than Social Distancing”: A Breakdown of the Shift in Society’s Psychology and Behaviour. Indian J Community Health [Internet]. 2024 Apr. 30 [cited 2024 Apr. 30];36(2). Available from: http://www.iapsmupuk.org/journal/index.php/IJCH/article/view/2806

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