The idea is simple: If low-risk people don’t socially distance, then the entire containment process is not effective. Generally, there are fewer high-risk individuals — the sick and the elderly — and they don’t tend to move around as much as lower-risk individuals. Therefore, it’s more likely that a low-risk individual will expose a high-risk individual to the virus.

Wanting to socialize right now is understandable. People are stressed. It’s St. Patrick’s Day weekend. People (rightly) want to support local businesses. Younger people feel less vulnerable. But the consequences are dire. Just look at Italy — a country thought to be a week to 10 days ahead of the United States in its outbreak — where the health care system is collapsing under the strain of new cases. In The Boston Globe on Friday, the Italian journalist Mattia Ferraresi offered a chilling warning to U.S. readers not to follow Italy’s lead. “Many of us were too selfish to change our behavior," he wrote. “Now we’re in lockdown and people are needlessly dying.”

If the same holds true in the United States, it could mean that this weekend’s St. Patrick’s Day bar crawls are effectively petri dishes incubating the virus. Once it spreads without containment, untold numbers could be infected, with many not showing symptoms for days, if at all. And as these low-risk individuals move around — visiting families, friends and going to work — they threaten to expose others to a potentially life-threatening illness.

Social distancing is a responsibility. It’s not about panicking and quarantining to protect one’s self, but to protect others around you. You can still FaceTime or video chat with friends and family. Do a joint movie night. A virtual book club. Eat, drink and try to unwind.

And if you have the means, here are some ideas to help the businesses losing revenue under social distancing measures: Call or email your favorite bars, restaurants and businesses. If they have them, purchase a generous online gift card to front them money you will spend later. Or inquire about virtual tips you can send to service staff. But we should all recognize that even that kindness will be a drop in the bucket. We are facing a serious challenge and will need the government to take action to assist all of the people who will be left struggling.