Coronavirus lockdown and exercising outdoors

[The Ghost]

You guys are watching way to many movies. This is not Contagion, you are not Matt Damon trying to save the world. The virus wont wait around every corner trying to infect you when you go for a run. Maybe do some reading on how you actually get infected.

What some people seem to be missing is that how it is spread or how the numbers are escalating etc have nothing to do with it for compliance purposes.

More to the point when an instruction, directive, order etc is issued by the government it should be complied with.

I don’t particularly like driving at 50km/h here but that’s the law and if I don’t adhere to it then I should expect what comes.

 

If they say stay home then stay home, if they say you can go for a walk then do that if you want, but arguing because you don’t like what has been said or because you think you know better doesn’t help.

If you feel that strongly about it approach it through the courts or an official channel.

[Vallende Vaandel]

As a mtb fanatic I will have a short solo 'swan song' ride Thursday evening and put away the bike for 3 weeks. Klaar. BUT I confess if the tweet is proven true I will still run 5h in the mornings solo for the remainder of the lockdown... I cannot see how I will negatively influence the current situation in this way and be back before most start their mornings. But if the rules change or this statement be nullified I will turn to gardening or whatnot and stay put. Strangely the thought of me going for a run after work in lockdown period doesn't feel right - I don't want to feel that I'm rubbing it in others faces or seem that I am disregarding the seriousness of this situation. I can imagine someone from a tight packed poor housing area on their way to work at the grocery store, fuel station etc. seeing me running in the evenings and thinking, if that person is out and about then why not me as well?? How is this fair? And that is where I think the problem comes in. I will not be contaminating or in close proximity to anyone on my run but it's what I represent. Even if its (to still be confirmed formally) legal.

[Duane_Bosch]

If they say stay home then stay home, if they say you can go for a walk then do that if you want, but arguing because you don’t like what has been said or because you think you know better doesn’t help.

 

Bro. I could write a book about what you've just said there.

 

The reason Africa doesn't work is because there is no generally accepted set of rules that we all stick to. So every interaction (even something as simple as walking on the pavement) becomes a negotiation. This does 2 things.

 

1. It slows everything down. Traffic, business.

2. It creates an environment ripe for corruption because everything is open to negotiation.

 

THIS IS WHY AFRICA IS POOR. BECAUSE WE CAN'T FOLLOW SIMPLE FKING RULES.

 

The government issues a lockdown instruction and we all immediately start thinking of ways around the rule.

Edited March 25, 2020 by Duane_Bosch

[Skubarra]

Just imagine if we had millions of people exercising, we would have such a healthy population. Dont fool your self, the only exercise millions will get is walking from the couch to the kitchen.

 

New runners everywhere

Like we’re currently seeing in Canada, Italy apparently had a similar running boom when gyms and training facilities closed. Another Italian mayor took to the Internet to berate his citizens for going outside, and in his video he says he doesn’t believe all of the people running on the streets are actually “runners,” and that most of them probably haven’t run since primary school.

 

Italian mayor addresses his citizens about their irresponsible behavior (in a very Italian way). “Doing your hair?! Why do you need this at the moment? A barbecue?! Are you kidding me? You are making a joke out of your lives!” pic.twitter.com/VVfiBeru3f

— Brenda Stoter Boscolo (@BrendaStoter) March 23, 2020

 

“There are at most 20 regular runners in our city,” he says. “How come everyone has turned to be a running enthusiast now? … What are you running for?” We know it’s a serious situation, and we hope it doesn’t get to the point where Canadians can’t go outside for a run, but these videos are still pretty funny. The lesson? Don’t run in Italy. If you do, you’ll get yelled at by the local mayor.

 

https://runningmagazine.ca/the-scene/italians-mayors-dont-want-you-running-in-their-streets/

Edited March 25, 2020 by Skubarra

[mathewk]

The problem is you are out on the road riding solo or running solo in your privileged area. 

Service delivery folk are on their way to work and see you, those people then go home and tell family or coworkers that people are out and about. 

1 week later everyone is out and about and there is no actual lockdown, the issue gets worse and the lockdown goes on for another 4-5 weeks as its being done in Spain and Switzerland.

[m-squared]

21 days is little to sacrifice in light of what's happening. 

 

Resist the urge.   

[Patchelicious]

If you are unable to go for a jog AND simultaneously not stay more than 10m from somebody else. Then please stay inside and eat Pringles, do not breed, as you are likely dumbing down the gene pool. 

Edited March 25, 2020 by Patchelicious

[Pieter1]

How are you putting your life at risk while exercising alone? Do you stop and lick handrails?

Hahahaha! Not anymore.

[Duane_Bosch]

dumbing down the gene pool. 

Bro that ship has sailed. I'm going to say around the mid to late 60's was our zenith. It's been a constant downward trajectory ever since.

[Duane_Bosch]

I'm on a surfing wattsapp group and they are all saying that if you can take your dog for a walk you can go for a surf.

 

Fckshow in 

 

 

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Edited March 25, 2020 by Duane_Bosch

[Mamil]

Jislaaik - you just gotta shake your head. 

 

Bro that ship has sailed. I'm going to say around the mid to late 60's was our zenith. It's been a constant downward trajectory ever since.

[Ascension]

I'm on a surfing wattsapp group and they are all saying that if you can take your dog for a walk you can go for a surf.

 

Fckshow in 

 

 

3

 

2

 

1

Sorry no 0 or start. Let them go surf. Surfing while keeping distance will not do any damage.

[Carmichael]

But the beaches are closed???

[Skubarra]

Because as long we stay away from groups then it is a good thing to go and exercise outside. Why limit freedom unnecessarily?

 

If the bigger problem in society was that people take this virus far too seriously and that you can trust the public to use common sense when getting the exemption to exercise outside I would agree with you 100%

[Fat Boab]

Nice post.

 

Our nature is to interact - it's one of our great evolutionary advantages, the ability to co-ordinate our behaviour in complex social patterns. As an animal,one person alone is weak, but a group of us accomplishes amazing things. It is one of the reasons we are such a successful species - that is to say we replicate our genes a lot and proliferate.

 

The virus exploits this behaviour to replicate itself. That is all that drives this - the replication of genetic material. Go for that run by all means - you probably won't encounter a policeman but if you do the virus might be copying itself in his mucosa and using it's strategy of hiding in our bodily secretions and excretions waiting for you to follow our major strategy - which is interact.

 

We have to curtail our natural impulses in the way we might stop a dog from following it's natural impulse to chase a cat across a busy road. It's his nature to run across the road - everything in his genes says chasing cats is fun and they might be good to eat and if he doesn't know about cars his nature will kill him.

 

Same story here - our nature says touch, kiss, hug, interact, participate in the grand complexity of bike rides and running and gyms and restaurants and the outdoors because it's fun and it is also the behaviour that has made us so successful as a species. Except not right now because another life form is exploiting that to use us a transport and incubator.

 

So I've got a leash on my dog but he's not going walkies. He doesn't understand why not and he's not happy about it but I'm being nice to him which he appreciates and it wins his obedience. I don't have a dog BTW, I'm the dog or the son of b who doesn't have any work and really should do something more creative than play on bikehub.

[DieselnDust]

I personally think jogging should not be allowed, Absolutely no way you can control people not interacting (just have a look at the sea point promenade). If you allow jogging, that place will be packed and people will interact, then go to the shop where someone from a poor community is the cashier. Gets infected and its into the townships...

 

It also creates a very bad visual privileged people running around whilst the poor are forced to stay inside a tiny shack. 

 

3 weeks of no exercise outdoors is a very very small sacrifice compared to those people 

 

 

People in the townships also have dogs, also have kids and also exercise. The mental health issues if being confined to indoors will probably give rise to bigger issues than just COVID-19.

Yes people will abuse privileges but for some that's their lively hood and without that how will they pay for food?

Also it is well documented that fitter healthy people are more resistant to infection (stronger immune systems) and that is a benefit that will keep people out of the hospitals where the big problem is likely to be in a months time. The lockdown is designed to prevent large groups of people gathering. Stick to that basic principal for the next three weeks and we'll be fine.