Spin-Class Death: Just Say NO!

When I'm out riding I try to avoid entering ANY enclosed spaces, as we here in the high desert enjoy an especially potent UV sterilizer in the very intense sunlight we get at 3,000ft elevation. When at the Apple Valley Airport I wait outside in the sun until my HR returns to normal, don the mask I bring with me, and pop inside to use the Men's Room. (despite my best efforts, wearing a mask is impossible if you want a good workout at ~ 80% of max HR, and according to Dr. Fauchi, unnecessary unless you go indoors or stop to talk to people)

I then leave the building and use the outdoor faucet at the BBQ area to wash my face, hands and fill my water-bottles. In summer I like to fill up inside at the water cooler, but not worth the added risk in winter, so I just go back outside in the warm sunshine and breeze. 

 

Only if you have a death wish...

By contrast, what NOT to do is ride a spin-cycle in an indoor spin class. Breathing hard around others in an enclosed space is just begging for COVID-19. In short, here's what not to do...

One of those instructors taught a 60-minute high-intensity indoor cycling class just four hours before his symptoms started later that evening. The instructor and students were all stationed at least six feet apart, but none wore masks while working out, per the facility's protocol, and the windows and doors were closed. The instructor was facing the class, “shouting instructions and encouragement,” the report says, and, presumably, spreading infectious respiratory droplets containing the virus. Over the next week, all 10 people who attended the class tested positive for COVID-19.

BTW, I can't think of any good reasons why more building owners up here in the high desert, where humidity is in the 5-15% range most of the time, haven't been installing swamp coolers and ripping  out their AC units. Swamp coolers (evaporation coolers) work by exchanging all the air in the cooled space every 3-5 minutes, so MUCH, MUCH safer than AC units which recirculate all of the air they move. They also take 40-60% of the power to operate.