Just six weeks ago, Shelly Howard was moving six days a week between Chicago's restaurants and cafes with his friends, but this American, like millions on Earth, must spend his evenings alone in his apartment, due to the global Covid-19 epidemic.

Howard, who is 73 years old, is very social in nature, and he always publishes pictures of his vital evening, which often appears while he shakes hands and embraces his friends.

However, with the isolation and the closure of all non-essential stores, Howard, who works as a graphic designer in the music sector, was almost completely cut off from any human contact. He says: "I am a person who loves to embrace others, and people love me very much ... but this reality." Howard's experience is similar to that of many around the world, they are depressed not to mix with others.

Video calls

Lilia Chacon, Director General of Communication in Santa Fe, New Mexico, also feels nostalgic for the era when human contact was possible in her life. Chacon, 65, lives alone, works from home. And Chacon recounts: "Madness how your reality can change so quickly ... I watch TV, I see people all sitting at one table hugging, and I say: Oh my God, things are not going on like that right now." To make up for the shortfall, she turns to video calls with her friends. Mary Carlson, a neuroscientist at Harvard Medical School, encourages theoretical communication. Carlson reassures those concerned about the loss of post-epidemic natural communication. "I always give the example of Nelson Mandela, who spent 27 years in prison," she explains, explaining, "We all know what happened when he went out. We watched it on TV and heard everything he said. He never lost his social capabilities and his sensitivity to others."

Music and pets

Charlotte Cullen, 46, who runs a Manhattan real estate PR company, also lives alone, works from home. For her, restrictions are the problem.

"To spend a month at home is one thing, and for another to last 18 months," says Colin, who has overcome cancer.

And in Chicago, Shelley compensates Howard by promoting home concerts for a friend on social media.

It also depends on the presence of his two cats. He says: "It is not the same, but one of them sleeps on my hands, so I spend 10 hours stuck to this organism that breathes."

Carlson: “You will not lose your ability to communicate naturally. Mandela spent 27 years in prison, and when he went out, he did not lose his social abilities and his sensitivity to others.”