TITLE:
Gyms and Martial Arts School after COVID-19: When to Come Back to Train?
AUTHORS:
Carlos Aurelio Andreucci
KEYWORDS:
COVID-19, SARS-COVID 2, Quarantine, Martial Arts, Gym
JOURNAL NAME:
Advances in Physical Education,
Vol.10 No.2,
May
12,
2020
ABSTRACT: To determine with safety when and how to open gyms after the COVID-19 epidemic, it’s very important since almost all places are locked down and probably will be closed for a while or permanently. We need to keep studying options and the ways to do it, therefore the sooner we discuss it, the less damage there will be, especially for owners and professionals. This article reviews systematically all numbers available about coronavirus until 01 April 2020. Until this date, COVID-19 is affecting 203 countries and territories around the world and 2 international conveyances: the Diamond Princess Cruise ship harbored in Yokohama, Japan, and Holland America’s MS Zaandam cruise ship. Objective: To determine when will be the right moment for gyms to come back and open their doors safely and how to prevent contamination of high risk people with COVID-19 in those places, directly and indirectly. Discussion: Well-known ways to help stop the spread of infection through personal hygiene, and adequate disinfection associated to social distancing, are reported in most articles about infection preventions, which are shown to be useful measures in SARS-COVID 2 also known as COVID-19. Conclusions: Private lessons are the best options after COVID-19, with control of body temperature before each class, a high level of personal hygiene and mat and equipment disinfection between classes for all activities in a gym. In group classes or closed spaces with more than 10 people, maintain 1 meter of distance if possible, using masks and gloves all the time until we have a better understanding of this virus’s mutation. If possible and available, test coaches and instructors for COVID-19 every 14 days, the average period of incubation.