FILE - In this Wednesday, March 18, 2020 file photo, a sign reminding people about "social distancing" in the midst of the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak stands next to a roadway in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Many see “social distancing” to be the greatest pandemic-era addition the vernacular yet — easily understood phrasing that’s helped communicate to millions that they need to keep a safe berth to avoid spreading the virus. (Jo…
March 20, 2020
Stories this photo appears in:
March 20, 2020 12:12 a.m.
In pandemic, word definitions shift and new lexicon emerges
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Newscasts bring word of “hot zones” and “lockdowns.” Conversations are littered with talk of “quarantines” and “isolation.” Leaders urge “social distancing” and “sheltering in place” and “flattening the curve.”