Social distancing is critical in reducing the spread of COVID-19, according to recent analyses. According to a study published online May 14 in Health Affairs, the daily rate of new COVID-19 cases in the United States dropped by 9.1% after 16 to 20 days of four government-imposed interventions: shelter in place orders, school closures, bans on large social gatherings, and closing entertainment-related businesses. The authors calculate that the spread of the pandemic would have been 35 times greater without these social distancing measures in place. Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin examined the impact of the timing of social distancing and found that every day a city delayed implementing social distancing measures added 2.4 days to the duration of the outbreak (see https://news.utexas.edu/2020/06/01). Further research is needed to determine how staged easing of social distancing measures will affect the spread of the virus.