Sunday, 21 February 2021

Outside Sports For Children?

In spite of being a 'top scientist' (I hate this term), Professor Mark Woolhouse (Edinburgh University) is right to advise the UK government it would be timely to end the ban on outside sports for children (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/feb/20/ban-on-outside-sport-can-end-top-scientist-urges-johnson). The 'science' confirms that a) most children have a relatively low risk of developing serious consequences, if they contract a Covid-19 infection; b) outside locations are considerably safer than interiors in viral-transmission terms and c) many young people clearly need outdoor sports for their physical and social development. Clearly, the regulation of outside sports for children will require a small number of supervising and organising adults. Adults are more at risk when infected by the virus. These individuals would also have to adjust their behaviour. Supervisors/referees should wear PPE and should not 'bellow from the sidelines' (aerosol transmission). Some outside sports are easier to regulate than others. A football or tennis match would be easier than cross-country running. There are also activities, intrinsic to outside sports, that could be problematic. These include a) sitting close together on substitute's benches; b) sharing of food and drink and c) changing and showering arrangements. Pretty obviously, parental observation would have to be very limited (some might, because of past scandals, worry about child safety). Would people also be tempted to exclude children with underlaying health problems? A bit of careful thought, however, ought to make the return of outside sports for children a realistic prospect.

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