Fresh outbreaks of covid in Europe and a wave of infections in the United States have been in the news this week, highlighting the renewed need for social distancing – but to what extent? In this edition, we explore the real-world evidence for physical distancing measures as well as the research into whether or not facemasks make us behave more recklessly.

We also discuss the non-covid themes of research transparency and a BMJ investigation into the lucrative business of orphan drugs.