People stand in freshly painted circles, six-feet-apart, as they wait in a two-hour line to buy marijuana products from Good Chemistry on March 23, 2020 in Denver, Colorado.   | Getty Images

Safe ways to contact seniors, at-risk neighbors, and others needing social connection during a challenging time In an era of social distancing and sheltering in place, Americans are seeing less of each other, at least in person, than ever before. It?s our mandate and our means of helping. But while it will help save us, it doesn?t come without a cost.
The nation?s leaders and policymakers are currently focused on combating the coronavirus as well as devising policies to ease the impact of an expected recession. But there?s also a coming social recession that deserves more attention right now, according to Erin Peavey, a Dallas-based architect and design researcher for HKS focused on designing for health and human connection. ?We need joy and distraction, and Netflix alone isn?t going to provide it,? she says. ?There will be a loneliness epidemic, which will have monumental potential health impacts beyond the health impacts of COVID-19.?
In our homes and apartment buildings, and on our blocks and in our neighborhoods, it?s increasingly challenging to be good neighbors and connect with others, especially with more than half of Americans now under instructions to stay home. But this period of social isolation is a mandate and opportunity to ?dig deep and get connected,? says...