With COVID-19 policies continually changing all industries in all areas of life, there’s been some rules that people have found do more harm than good.
For example, Piedmont College has implemented a rule that there must be masks worn in the gym, the cardio area and pickup basketball. Some say this is a necessary measure due to the idea that the space is too small to be able to social distance. That space might be a little too small to get precisely 6 feet of distance. There are other ways to be able to distance yourself from other people while lifting.
These policies can cause harm to my body more than the virus does. Having to train with a mask on is like altitude training. The lack of oxygen going to the lungs causes one to train and perform better at high altitudes due to the lack of oxygen. The first disadvantage of altitude training, ironically enough, is that it affects immunity. “One of the drawbacks of training in high altitudes is a person’s immunity to diseases. With a weakened immune system, an athlete can be susceptible to pathogens that can lead to ailments.”[DJ1] The thing that is supposed to be keeping the gym users safe is the one thing that is exposing them to pathogens.
On top of that, the inhalation of one’s carbon dioxide is hazardous and can cause one to hyperventilate and pass out when doing intense training. A professor of pulmonary medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine states that “it can impair venue as returning to the chest and heart reducing left ventricle output possibly causing syncope or passing out.” [DJ2]
Forcing students to wear the mask due to the fear of disease is understandable. Still, in making students wear a mask while doing these physical activities, you put their lives at risk.
Monday Morning Editors 