  The COVID-19 pandemic has forced changes in production and especially in
human interaction, with "social distancing" a standard prescription for slowing
transmission of the disease. This paper examines the economic effects of social
distancing at the aggregate level, weighing both the benefits and costs to
prolonged distancing. Specifically we fashion a model of economic recovery when
the productive capacity of factors of production is restricted by social
distancing, building a system of equations where output growth and social
distance changes are interdependent. The model attempts to show the complex
interactions between output levels and social distancing, developing cycle
paths for both variables. Ultimately, however, defying gravity via prolonged
social distancing shows that a lower growth path is inevitable as a result.
