It’s been a year since the normal times when doing sports were a good way to keep fit and active during the winter or even in the summer. The pandemic has made people find alternative ways to keep fit, but the best way remains to do sports during your free time.
There are a lot of people who are currently looking for ways to stay fit at home. There are those who have thought about putting up sports equipment like basketball hoops. Others who can are looking into having a home bowling alley put up in the confines of their homes. All throughout the country, people are coming out of their homes – at least, just exploring exercising in their backyards.
Indoor sports are allowed; however, experts are saying that people can assess the risk of playing indoors or having their kids play with others based on already available knowledge of how the virus spreads. If you must have your game on, then take a look at how to protect yourself.
Search for Ventilation
When you have chosen a venue in which to play indoor sports, you should look for an opening or ventilation. A single window or a fan that’s circulating the air is a nice touch, but according to indoor air researcher Paul Francisco, it isn’t enough.
A pandemic like this spreads through contaminants in the air. Francisco has studied the movement of these, along with infectious pathogens, and how ventilation can affect people as they move through an indoor space. It can potentially expose people to the deadly disease.
A good idea would be to try to cross-ventilate by opening windows and doors on opposite sides of a room. Air then moves away rather than stay in one place, thereby avoiding contamination.
Older Buildings are Better
If you’re playing indoor sports, older buildings are better for surprising reasons. They’re leakier than new ones, and they help create better airflow. If you’re playing in a newer building, choose one which has larger spaces to help with the air inside. A ceiling with double the height can create better air exchanges for an hour.
This won’t help if someone breaths in your face, though, so it’s good adviceto always keep your distance, whether you’re playing in an indoor gymnasium or on an open field. Choose sports where you can stay away from your playmates at a safe distance.
Protection When Doing Indoor Sports
Contact sports spread the disease the easiest, but that’s not the main case. There’s a chance that the coronavirus may already be in the building if there’s just one infected person. When this person touches something and you tend to touch it, you may also get the virus through that kind of contact.
The CDC recommendation for this is frequent wiping of surfaces while avoiding shared equipment. You should also maintain the wearing of masks if, for instance, you’re not on the court, or you’re currently on the bench, resting.
It Depends on the Facilities
When you’re checking for facilities, it doesn’t matter whether you’re playing indoors or you’re running outdoors. All coronavirus needs to spread is contact through whatever form. It can linger in the form of droplets and it can also linger through droplets passed on from hand to hand, person to person.
Basketball and soccer are physically demanding sports. These sports are played in close contact and the virus can spread easier through these. In contrast, playing sports like indoor bowling or singles tennis affords each person the chance to be far away from each other. When playing these sports, they can significantly be protected from contaminants.
Vaccines Might Make it Safer
There are vaccines currently being rolled out, and these have proven to be effective against the virus. Two of them are 95% effective, and they also start working 28 days after the first dosage. Some expectations have even been surpassed, shattering the notion that there are no effective vaccines.
There are a few catches, though – these vaccines have only been tested in adults, and some Americans have been expressing doubts over getting vaccinated. Still, the positive picture is that people will be seeing a safe environment in the next few months.
It doesn’t matter whether you’re playing indoor or outdoor sports if you’re not observing safety protocols. Take a look at this list and figure out for yourself if you’re going to do sports indoors, or will exercise outdoors. It’s all for your health after all. Remember, be safe when working out, and your health will follow!