Sunday, September 6, 2020

Are Gyms Getting Safer?

PLUS: A Summer Of Community, Despite Social Distance

Shots

Gyms are reopening with fewer people and more protocols, and they want to rehabilitate their pandemic-battered image. Although there's not much evidence, they say the science is on their side
Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Why The Virus Might Spread Less In A Sweaty Gym Than A Bar

Gyms are reopening with fewer people and more cleaning, eager to rehabilitate their pandemic-battered image. Although the evidence is still emerging, the science may be on their side -- at least for gyms that follow strict rules.

“Only a few U.S. states have publicly available information on outbreaks linked to the fitness sector,” notes NPR reporter Will Stone, “and those states report very few cases.”

Unlike in a bar, where alcohol tends to lower masks and inhibitions, people inside a gym these days are focused more on health and fitness, not socializing, says one gym owner.

READ ON to learn more about what workout teams are doing to keep you safe.

BONUS: Coronavirus Map: How’s Your State Doing?
 

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The annual town meeting in North Andover, Mass., which dates back to 1646, was held outside on June 16 on a high school football field to help keep participants a safe distance from each other.
Jim Davis/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Finding Community Despite Social Distance

What a strange summer it’s been.

Still, celebrations, milestones and daily routines happen whether we're ready or not, and the summer of 2020 was no different. As Americans sought relief in an ongoing pandemic, they got creative.

We asked far-flung photographers to turn a lens on their own neighborhoods in these crazy, socially distanced days.

What they found, says NPR photo editor Meredith Rizzo, was “a summer sweetness that transcended even a pandemic.”

TAKE A LOOK, for inspiration.

BONUS: What It Looks Like When School And Everything Else Happens At Home
 

As people spend more time together indoors with the changing of the seasons, could an air cleaner provide an added layer of protection against the transmission of the coronavirus by removing a percentage of viral particles from the air?
Ben de la Cruz/NPR

Should You Get A Portable Air Purifier?

Even if you never before considered getting a home air purifier to filter out smoke, pollution, pollen or pet dander, the widening pandemic may have you pondering such a purchase now.

But could an air cleaner really help keep your family safer from the coronavirus?

Maybe, scientists say, but it depends on the type. Certain purifiers – those with HEPA filters – might indeed add an extra measure of safety, when used alongside the usual cleaning, masking and distancing routines.

"It's a relatively easy way to get clean air in a place where people are in close contact," says Joseph Gardner Allen, an associate professor of exposure assessment science who directs the Healthy Buildings program at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

READ ON to learn more about what to look for in an air cleaner -- and what to avoid.

BONUS VIDEO: Do This To Stay Safe From Virus Clouds That Linger
 

More of this week's health stories from NPR

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This Advance in ALS Treatment Could Herald ‘A New Era,’ Doctors Say

Another Surge Coming Your Way? Keep An Eye On Tourist Hot Spots

Tips For Supporting Older People In A Pandemic 
 
We hope you enjoyed these stories. Find more of NPR's health journalism on Shots and follow us on Twitter at @NPRHealth.

Your Shots editor,
Deborah Franklin
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