It may not have been based on data at the time, but the experts were knowledgeable enough to know that it would help. And it did.

It seems to be common sense that social distancing would help to prevent the spread of airborne infectious disease.

This is further reinforced when the LACK of social distancing resulted in "super-spreader" events and the spread of COVID among retail store employees, front line workers, family members, retirement homes, etc....

These headlines make it seem like the public was duped, and social distancing was a scam.

This is the fun of close-door testimony... we don't have Fauci's actual testimony, just some guy playing Faux News telephone about it and trying to pump more energy into the "why were we ever worried about COVID?" side.

I would suggest that anything from reason.com belongs on The Onion, but that would be a serious insult to The Onion. Surely OP doesn't take anything from that site seriously, or think it's based on factual information?

The 6 foot distancing that wasn't really ever followed well was a compromise to keep things open for the economy while pretending we're doing something. What amazes me is how there wasn't any mandate to require air filtration at key points in places with crowds - like a Corsi-Rosenthal box, the DIY stores could have had these in the front with a how-to-build and they would have made tons of profit while supplies lasted. I guess 6-foot stickers and signage was easier and cheaper. Remember when some stores tried to go further and enforce one way aisles?