On Saturday the lifting of coronavirus restrictions on the hospitality sector saw bars and restaurants reopen – so why do gyms remain shut? Tony McDonough reports
Over the past couple of days I’ve heard a number of people ask: “How come I can now go to the pub and get drunk but can’t go to the gym and get fit?”
It’s a reasonable question as the latter is certainly a much healthier activity than the former. We don’t yet know what the specific SAGE advice to the Government is on this, yet, but here is some context…
A number of scientific studies from around the world since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic have pinpointed gyms and indoor exercise classes as potential ‘superspreader’ settings. Why is this?
Well studies from Japan and South Korea looked at transmissions in fitness classes, and in particular focused on Zumba classes. They identified a high risk of transmission of COVID-19.
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California-based Dr Krutika Kuppalli, a global specialist in emerging infections explained the risk. She said: “Biggest concern is that while working out people breathe with greater intensity and therefore droplets with infectious virus can be transmitted further and infect people in this confined space.
“It’s very difficult to wear a mask when you work out. So when you do, you are breathing with greater intensity and therefore those droplets with potentially infectious virus that people can inhale.”
Interestingly, studies have not found a problem with gentler activities such as yoga or pilates, which backs up the idea that it is the intensity of breathing that poses the risk.
Now, bars have also been identified as settings that have the potential for ‘superspreading’ events, hence the restrictions currently imposed on social distancing and live music and singing, which would also cause people to project the virus.
There was a picture from Soho in London on Saturday evening. It has caused some alarm with lots of people densely packed outside bars in a narrow street.
However, it may prove to be a red herring. In the past few weeks we have seen dense crowds at the Black Lives Matter protests and on beaches around the country. There is no evidence they have led to a rise in infections.
It again confirms research that shows outdoor settings, even where there is lots of people, pose a much lower transmission risk than indoor settings. It is believed fresh air very quickly dilutes and disperses the virus.
If the reopening of bars and restaurants does lead to further outbreaks of COVID-19, it is likely they will be caused by lack of social distancing indoors rather than out.
There is also a strong rationale in a gradual lifting of restrictions. On March 16, strong social distancing advice was issued and, by March 23, the UK was locked down.
Both of these moves were successful in significantly slowing the spread of the virus. However, because schools, businesses, shops, bars, restaurants and gyms, etc, also closed within a short timeframe, it has hard to pinpoint which particular aspects had the biggest effect.
The more gradual easing of restrictions over the past few weeks will offer scientists more valuable data on the relative risks posed by specific settings. This will be critical in controlling subsequent spikes in infections.