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Phase IV of defrosting the economy reopened cinemas, theaters, gyms and swimming pools. Of course, everything under the new sanitary regime. Is it safe to use these places? We talk about it with Łukasz Durajski, an internist and a WHO member.
“Lifting new restrictions at this stage of the epidemic is problematic”
Let us start with the question: is this a good time to lift restrictions and ease the economy? From the daily announcements of the Ministry of Health, we learn that the number of new people infected with the coronavirus remains at a similar level.
– Defrosting the economy in this form and at this stage of the epidemic is a big challenge. The epidemiological situation is as it is, We still do too few tests, so we don’t really know how many sick people are or where we are in the epidemic. The decision to open public places, where this contact is much more direct, can be a big problem – Dr. Łukasz Durajski explains in an interview with Medonet.
The biggest challenge is to adapt these facilities to the new conditions. In the case of a gym or a swimming pool, it seems easier, because even before the pandemic, there were quite strict sanitary conditions there. What about cinemas and theaters?
“New Reality” in cinemas
On June 6, cinemas and theaters resume operations. The Ministry of Culture and National Heritage and the Chief Sanitary Inspectorate have prepared recommendations according to which these institutions will now function.
What’s in the recommendations? The participation of viewers in the screening is allowed provided that the viewers cover their mouths and nose, and no more than half of the seats in the room are made available by the cinema (rows should be occupied alternately, with free space between viewers, with some exceptions). The obligation to keep one free space between viewers does not apply to:
- a viewer who attends the show with a child under 13;
- a viewer who participates in the show with a person with a disability certificate, a person with a disability degree, a person with a certificate of need for special education or a person who, due to his or her health condition, cannot move independently;
- people living together or staying in a common household.
The entire recommendation is available on the ministry’s website.
– When it comes to cinemas, we have a lot of guidelines: keep a distance, put on masks, there are new rules for admission to screenings. However, it is hard to imagine the gradual admission of viewers to the cinema located, for example, in a shopping mall, when we have several or a dozen or so screening rooms and the screenings start every several minutes. Even assuming that each room can be entered by half as many people, there will be plenty of people waiting in the queue – notes Durajski,
While entering the screening will be somehow controlled (although it is hard to imagine keeping the distance in the corridor after we pass the ticket operator), leaving the screening is quite problematic.
Dr. Łukasz Durajski
We will go out in the crowd. We will not be able to keep a distance, so it will be justified to put on a mask, disinfect hands. It is not known how it will work in practice
How to reduce the risk of coronavirus infection in the cinema? Much depends on the people who manage the cinema. Our expert mentions, among others about screening the temperature at the entrance (a person with an increased temperature would not be allowed to attend the screening), selling tickets only on-line, after completing a short health questionnaire.
The recommendations of the Chief Sanitary Inspectorate also include information that viewers should provide their contact details (e.g. when purchasing a ticket on-line) in the event that someone from the participants is infected with SARS-CoV-2. The data would be collected in order to inform about possible contact with an infected person.
See also: Coronavirus – restrictions in Poland. Stages of lifting restrictions
Gyms and swimming pools under the new sanitary regime
From June 6, gyms and swimming pools are also returning. On the website of the Ministry of Development, we can find recommendations for these institutions.
– Gyms are even more challenging due to the fact that there is no possibility for anyone to exercise in a mask or with gloves. It is physically very difficult. Exercise requires effort, and the mask blockade will make breathing difficult. I myself am, or rather was, a gym user and I cannot imagine exercising in a mask – says Durajski.
The only way out is regular disinfection of equipment, which took place in gyms before the pandemic, and regular disinfection of hands. Equipment in the gym should be arranged in such a way that it is possible to keep at least a meter distance between the exercisers. There should also be information on the maximum number of participants and on keeping distances in the locker room.
– It will be similar in the pools, although there is also the issue of water that falls into our mouth, eyes and nose. Regular water changes and keeping it clean should be a top priority.
What does the virologist Dr. Tomasz Dzieścitkowski think about the opening of the gym? Read: “Accessible gyms are your greatest risk.” Abolishing the obligation of masks can cost us a lot
Inconsistency in applying restrictions
Most of us are probably looking forward to going to the movies, going to the gym or swimming in the pool. It is clear that we want to return to our “normality”. But isn’t it better to wait and see what this “new reality” will look like?
– I must admit that I have trouble answering this question. It’s hard to say: let’s refrain from going to the cinema or the gym, because we have another problem that worries me much more – for example, weddings of 150 people or the lifting of limits on people in churches or shopping malls. Since such things are allowed, the question actually remains, why do we have to keep a distance in the cinema or on the plane? – notes Durajski.
The selective introduction of restrictions on the number of people allowed to stay in one place generates unnecessary confusion. Countless people can enter the shopping mall, where there are cinemas and a XNUMX-hour gym, but strictly within the premises of these facilities there are restrictions.
– These recommendations for keeping distance, disinfecting hands are not bad, quite the opposite. It is a pity that there is no consistency in them. As a doctor, it is difficult for me to say: please do not go to the gym, please let go of the cinema, but you can go to a wedding, because there is no limit. This is the biggest challenge for me, because the truth is that at the moment going to the cinema or the gym is less dangerous than going to a wedding or church – explains Durajski and adds: – There is no obligation to keep distance, wear masks or even hand sanitizer before entering. Therefore, it is difficult to explain the restrictions on cinemas or gyms.
Therefore, first of all, we recommend that you be careful and use common sense. It will be difficult to return to “normal”, but that does not mean that it is impossible.
Editors recommend:
- Gyms, fitness clubs and swimming pools will open. What do you have to watch out for?
- Theme parks are reopening. What will the fun look like in the new reality?
- What will weddings look like now – what about the “country table” and the “country table”?
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