‘Social distancing’ still crucial for rural America, which invented it

By Alan Guebert | Apr 12, 2020 “Less than 14% of the nation’s population is over 65 years,” noted Megan L. Srinivas in the April 7 Des Moines Register, “but this group represents over 18% of the population in rural areas.” Those numbers, explains Srinivas, “an infectious disease doctor living in rural Iowa,” have her “terrified … and shaken.” The reason is simple; she knows the dark math behind them. For example, if rural Iowa or rural anywhere gets hit by COVID-19 as hard as New York or Chicago, it will be more lethal because while rural America is home to 20% of all Americans, it contains only 9% of the nation’s ...