<p>Social distancing is one of the most important health behaviors limiting the spread of COVID‐19, but people may practice it insufficiently for multiple reasons: they may not believe or realize that community norms have shifted towards support for social distancing, and they may not realize its public health benefits.This project is supporting Mozambique’s effort to promote social distancing, in collaboration with the government’s health research center for the central region.In a representative sample of 3,000 households across three provinces, many of whom were displaced by Cyclone Idai, researchers are evaluating two different messaging approaches to promote social distancing.</p>

<p>In the US, the CDC has recently recommended cloth face coverings as a supplement to social distancing, especially in areas with significant community-based transmission of COVID-19.Internationally, the World Health Organization and many other countries are yet to recommend universal mask adoption.Evidence on the effectiveness of masks remains scarce but as developing countries consider opening their economies, masks may prove to be crucial policy instruments that reduce the transmission of virus in the absence of social distancing.</p>

<p>The best available strategies to stop COVID-19 require individuals to undertake protective actions, including social distancing and proper respiratory hygiene.Convincing people to undertake these strategies requires awareness of the disease, how it spreads, and what protective actions they can take.Evidence suggests that individualized messages from acquaintances and community leaders are more effective than impersonalized text messages in changing behavior and as witnessed during the Ebola crisis in Sierra Leone and Liberia, during a time of crisis, information is particularly effective when it comes from influential leaders in the community.</p>