Richard Collins: Social distancing is nothing new

From British kings in the 1600s to the 'town of lepers' that became known as Leopardstown to ill mandrills, all have practised what we know now as social distancing

A view of a starling murmuration over Lough Ennell, Co Westmeath. Picture: James Crombie/Inpho

The starlings in James Crombie’s iconic photo gather in their hundreds of thousands. However, we must avoid each other ‘like the plague’. What a contrast!

Social distancing isn’t new. When plague broke out in London in 1665, King Charles and his family fled to Oxford. It can take up to 37 days for a victim to die, so ‘quaranta giorni’ became the ‘quarantine’ period.