“If I get corona, I get corona. At the end of the day, I’m not gonna let it stop me from partying.” This comment from a young spring breaker in Florida spread across the Internet, with many people criticizing the teen for his insensitive comment.

Unfortunately, this statement is what many people are thinking in relation to the coronavirus, ignoring officials’ pleas to social distance from others. This blatant disregard of the rules has ensured that the coronavirus is not going away any time soon.

So what is “social distancing” and why should everyone make sure to adhere to it? According to Johns Hopkins University, social distancing is increasing the distance between people in order to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

Some examples of social distancing, and what many states have started doing, are closing schools, canceling public events, and closing public spaces.

Social distancing for individuals requires that people stand 6 feet apart and should avoid crowds no bigger than ten people, hence why schools have been cancelled and people are staying home for work. Scientists have started upholding this idea of social distancing in order to “flatten the curve.”

Flattening the curve refers to slowing the rate at which people get sick in order to make sure hospitals have enough supplies, rooms, and staff to treat people with the virus. If everyone gets sick at once, hospitals are going to be overwhelmed, leading to even more people dying.

Already evidence of this is occurring across the United States, with hospitals across the country running out of ventilators and other medical supplies.

But there is still a ray of hope in all of this chaos. New York City, one of the hardest hit cities in the United States, reports that social distancing is working and saving lives.

Governor Cuomo says that although the death toll continues to rise, the amount of coronavirus cases has started to slow, thanks to strict social distancing policies put in place. “We are flattening the curve, we must continue to flatten the curve,” Governor Cuomo says.

In order to lower the death toll of this pandemic we all have to remember the lives that are threatened every time we leave our homes. Stay home and stay safe.