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| A Wall. A Ball. That’s All: Your New Social-Distancing Workout | A Wall. A Ball. That’s All: Your New Social-Distancing Workout |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| In a park along the Hudson River in Manhattan’s Battery Park City, New Yorkers are queuing up — six feet apart, of course — for their turn to play with a wall. | In a park along the Hudson River in Manhattan’s Battery Park City, New Yorkers are queuing up — six feet apart, of course — for their turn to play with a wall. |
| It’s a gray slab surrounded by a chained fence that looks like it might have once been part of a racquetball court. A month ago, the drab-looking wall would have been easily overshadowed by the sleek Equinox or Asphalt Green gyms close by. | It’s a gray slab surrounded by a chained fence that looks like it might have once been part of a racquetball court. A month ago, the drab-looking wall would have been easily overshadowed by the sleek Equinox or Asphalt Green gyms close by. |
| But now, it’s become the belle of the ball. Locals are lining up to have their turn with it. | But now, it’s become the belle of the ball. Locals are lining up to have their turn with it. |
| Christian Jorg, 56, who runs two start-up accelerators, gets there at 7 a.m. “There is no system really,” he said. “It’s first come first served.” | Christian Jorg, 56, who runs two start-up accelerators, gets there at 7 a.m. “There is no system really,” he said. “It’s first come first served.” |
| An avid tennis player, in normal times he would be playing at a tennis club in Westchester. But now that it’s closed and he’s isolating, which means no tennis partners, he’s playing against the wall. | An avid tennis player, in normal times he would be playing at a tennis club in Westchester. But now that it’s closed and he’s isolating, which means no tennis partners, he’s playing against the wall. |
| “I don’t have any other choice,” he said. “But it’s actually fun. The ball comes back to me quickly, so I can do volleys and backhands. It’s also good for concentration.” It’s such good exercise, he said, that he only needs to use it for about 20 minutes. | “I don’t have any other choice,” he said. “But it’s actually fun. The ball comes back to me quickly, so I can do volleys and backhands. It’s also good for concentration.” It’s such good exercise, he said, that he only needs to use it for about 20 minutes. |
| “Do I prefer playing with a partner? Probably,” said Mr. Jorg, who grew up hitting tennis balls against walls in Munich, Germany. “But you have to make do for now.” | “Do I prefer playing with a partner? Probably,” said Mr. Jorg, who grew up hitting tennis balls against walls in Munich, Germany. “But you have to make do for now.” |
| Zara Chadowitz, 35, a senior program manager at Amazon who lives in the West Village, refuses to disclose the location of her wall. | Zara Chadowitz, 35, a senior program manager at Amazon who lives in the West Village, refuses to disclose the location of her wall. |
| She discovered it last week on a grocery run when she saw people playing racquetball against it. She returned a few days later with her tennis racket and a few balls. | She discovered it last week on a grocery run when she saw people playing racquetball against it. She returned a few days later with her tennis racket and a few balls. |
| “I felt like it was the first day I was sort of winning corona,” she said. “I hadn’t played tennis in so long. I got the exercise, the endorphins. There was a meditative aspect to it.” | “I felt like it was the first day I was sort of winning corona,” she said. “I hadn’t played tennis in so long. I got the exercise, the endorphins. There was a meditative aspect to it.” |
| She now feels as if she’s part of a secret community. “There was a cute old guy who was throwing a ball against a wall in his surgical gloves, and a basketball guy playing alone in a surgical mask,” she said. “It looks like people are using the wall for whatever they want.” | She now feels as if she’s part of a secret community. “There was a cute old guy who was throwing a ball against a wall in his surgical gloves, and a basketball guy playing alone in a surgical mask,” she said. “It looks like people are using the wall for whatever they want.” |
| For Ms. Chadowitz, hitting balls against the wall is a nostalgic and comforting experience, as she grew up playing tennis this way in Manchester, England. “My dad built a wall in the garden, and he painted a line across it where the line would be,” she said. “I would make up imaginary games in my head, pretending I was playing friends or my brother.” | For Ms. Chadowitz, hitting balls against the wall is a nostalgic and comforting experience, as she grew up playing tennis this way in Manchester, England. “My dad built a wall in the garden, and he painted a line across it where the line would be,” she said. “I would make up imaginary games in my head, pretending I was playing friends or my brother.” |
| Lauren Wire, 31, a publicist who lives on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, has never given much thought to the brick walls that line her building’s courtyard. “I’ve definitely never touched these walls before,” she said. | Lauren Wire, 31, a publicist who lives on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, has never given much thought to the brick walls that line her building’s courtyard. “I’ve definitely never touched these walls before,” she said. |
| Now they’re part of her daily routine. | Now they’re part of her daily routine. |
| Everyday she sets up her yoga mat against one to do exercises she would normally do at CrossFit. Sometimes she does wall-sits and headstands. Other times she focuses on stretching. She even ordered a weighted ball so can squat, throw it against the wall, catch it, and return to a squat. | Everyday she sets up her yoga mat against one to do exercises she would normally do at CrossFit. Sometimes she does wall-sits and headstands. Other times she focuses on stretching. She even ordered a weighted ball so can squat, throw it against the wall, catch it, and return to a squat. |
| “Before coronavirus I would have felt awkward doing this in public,” she said. “Now I am putting music on with my sports bra and crushing it.” | “Before coronavirus I would have felt awkward doing this in public,” she said. “Now I am putting music on with my sports bra and crushing it.” |
| Some neighbors even cheer her on when they see her. | Some neighbors even cheer her on when they see her. |
| Shelly Eichas, 33, a personal trainer and registered dietitian who also lives on the Upper East Side, said she’s been amazed at how New Yorkers have incorporated various city objects into their workouts. | Shelly Eichas, 33, a personal trainer and registered dietitian who also lives on the Upper East Side, said she’s been amazed at how New Yorkers have incorporated various city objects into their workouts. |
| “I’ve seen people using statues, stairs, benches,” she said. “I saw somebody the other day in the park using a tree. He was just scaling the tree up and down, up and down. I was pretty impressed.” | “I’ve seen people using statues, stairs, benches,” she said. “I saw somebody the other day in the park using a tree. He was just scaling the tree up and down, up and down. I was pretty impressed.” |
| Updated June 5, 2020 | Updated June 5, 2020 |
| So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement. | |
| A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study. | A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study. |
| The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April. | The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April. |
| Mass protests against police brutality that have brought thousands of people onto the streets in cities across America are raising the specter of new coronavirus outbreaks, prompting political leaders, physicians and public health experts to warn that the crowds could cause a surge in cases. While many political leaders affirmed the right of protesters to express themselves, they urged the demonstrators to wear face masks and maintain social distancing, both to protect themselves and to prevent further community spread of the virus. Some infectious disease experts were reassured by the fact that the protests were held outdoors, saying the open air settings could mitigate the risk of transmission. | Mass protests against police brutality that have brought thousands of people onto the streets in cities across America are raising the specter of new coronavirus outbreaks, prompting political leaders, physicians and public health experts to warn that the crowds could cause a surge in cases. While many political leaders affirmed the right of protesters to express themselves, they urged the demonstrators to wear face masks and maintain social distancing, both to protect themselves and to prevent further community spread of the virus. Some infectious disease experts were reassured by the fact that the protests were held outdoors, saying the open air settings could mitigate the risk of transmission. |
| Exercise researchers and physicians have some blunt advice for those of us aiming to return to regular exercise now: Start slowly and then rev up your workouts, also slowly. American adults tended to be about 12 percent less active after the stay-at-home mandates began in March than they were in January. But there are steps you can take to ease your way back into regular exercise safely. First, “start at no more than 50 percent of the exercise you were doing before Covid,” says Dr. Monica Rho, the chief of musculoskeletal medicine at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago. Thread in some preparatory squats, too, she advises. “When you haven’t been exercising, you lose muscle mass.” Expect some muscle twinges after these preliminary, post-lockdown sessions, especially a day or two later. But sudden or increasing pain during exercise is a clarion call to stop and return home. | Exercise researchers and physicians have some blunt advice for those of us aiming to return to regular exercise now: Start slowly and then rev up your workouts, also slowly. American adults tended to be about 12 percent less active after the stay-at-home mandates began in March than they were in January. But there are steps you can take to ease your way back into regular exercise safely. First, “start at no more than 50 percent of the exercise you were doing before Covid,” says Dr. Monica Rho, the chief of musculoskeletal medicine at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago. Thread in some preparatory squats, too, she advises. “When you haven’t been exercising, you lose muscle mass.” Expect some muscle twinges after these preliminary, post-lockdown sessions, especially a day or two later. But sudden or increasing pain during exercise is a clarion call to stop and return home. |
| States are reopening bit by bit. This means that more public spaces are available for use and more and more businesses are being allowed to open again. The federal government is largely leaving the decision up to states, and some state leaders are leaving the decision up to local authorities. Even if you aren’t being told to stay at home, it’s still a good idea to limit trips outside and your interaction with other people. | States are reopening bit by bit. This means that more public spaces are available for use and more and more businesses are being allowed to open again. The federal government is largely leaving the decision up to states, and some state leaders are leaving the decision up to local authorities. Even if you aren’t being told to stay at home, it’s still a good idea to limit trips outside and your interaction with other people. |
| Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks. | Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks. |
| Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days. | Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days. |
| If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.) | If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.) |
| Taking one’s temperature to look for signs of fever is not as easy as it sounds, as “normal” temperature numbers can vary, but generally, keep an eye out for a temperature of 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. If you don’t have a thermometer (they can be pricey these days), there are other ways to figure out if you have a fever, or are at risk of Covid-19 complications. | Taking one’s temperature to look for signs of fever is not as easy as it sounds, as “normal” temperature numbers can vary, but generally, keep an eye out for a temperature of 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. If you don’t have a thermometer (they can be pricey these days), there are other ways to figure out if you have a fever, or are at risk of Covid-19 complications. |
| The C.D.C. has recommended that all Americans wear cloth masks if they go out in public. This is a shift in federal guidance reflecting new concerns that the coronavirus is being spread by infected people who have no symptoms. Until now, the C.D.C., like the W.H.O., has advised that ordinary people don’t need to wear masks unless they are sick and coughing. Part of the reason was to preserve medical-grade masks for health care workers who desperately need them at a time when they are in continuously short supply. Masks don’t replace hand washing and social distancing. | The C.D.C. has recommended that all Americans wear cloth masks if they go out in public. This is a shift in federal guidance reflecting new concerns that the coronavirus is being spread by infected people who have no symptoms. Until now, the C.D.C., like the W.H.O., has advised that ordinary people don’t need to wear masks unless they are sick and coughing. Part of the reason was to preserve medical-grade masks for health care workers who desperately need them at a time when they are in continuously short supply. Masks don’t replace hand washing and social distancing. |
| If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others. | If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others. |
| If you’re sick and you think you’ve been exposed to the new coronavirus, the C.D.C. recommends that you call your healthcare provider and explain your symptoms and fears. They will decide if you need to be tested. Keep in mind that there’s a chance — because of a lack of testing kits or because you’re asymptomatic, for instance — you won’t be able to get tested. | If you’re sick and you think you’ve been exposed to the new coronavirus, the C.D.C. recommends that you call your healthcare provider and explain your symptoms and fears. They will decide if you need to be tested. Keep in mind that there’s a chance — because of a lack of testing kits or because you’re asymptomatic, for instance — you won’t be able to get tested. |
| She also understands the draw to the wall and is encouraging her clients to find one to use for resistance in doing burpees or push-ups. “I could go on forever about what you can do on a wall,” she said. | She also understands the draw to the wall and is encouraging her clients to find one to use for resistance in doing burpees or push-ups. “I could go on forever about what you can do on a wall,” she said. |
| Walls are also doing their part to help parents entertain their children, too. Noah Coslov, 38, a freelance sportscaster, introduced one as a new playmate to his five year-old daughter, Eden. Two weeks ago they went to an empty basketball court in Midtown East with tennis balls. There they found a wall, not in use. So they summoned their imaginations. | Walls are also doing their part to help parents entertain their children, too. Noah Coslov, 38, a freelance sportscaster, introduced one as a new playmate to his five year-old daughter, Eden. Two weeks ago they went to an empty basketball court in Midtown East with tennis balls. There they found a wall, not in use. So they summoned their imaginations. |
| “We probably made up eight different games, throwing the ball against the wall at targets and passing it to one another,” he said. “I certainly won’t forget the memory, and I hope she won’t either.” | “We probably made up eight different games, throwing the ball against the wall at targets and passing it to one another,” he said. “I certainly won’t forget the memory, and I hope she won’t either.” |
| He didn’t consider possible infection at the time, he said. “I didn’t even think through the tennis ball touching the wall, and then us touching it.” | He didn’t consider possible infection at the time, he said. “I didn’t even think through the tennis ball touching the wall, and then us touching it.” |
| But he did come to worry about other people. He said that he and his daughter left the basketball court once another person arrived who wanted her time with the wall. | But he did come to worry about other people. He said that he and his daughter left the basketball court once another person arrived who wanted her time with the wall. |
| Some New Yorkers are hooked, they said, and intend to keep playing with their favorite walls, even when the city becomes fully operational. | Some New Yorkers are hooked, they said, and intend to keep playing with their favorite walls, even when the city becomes fully operational. |
| “I am going to keep doing this,” Ms. Chadowitz said. “In New York, it’s hard to get a tennis court, and it’s hard to find someone to play with who is the right level — not too good and not too bad,” she explained. | “I am going to keep doing this,” Ms. Chadowitz said. “In New York, it’s hard to get a tennis court, and it’s hard to find someone to play with who is the right level — not too good and not too bad,” she explained. |
| “With the wall you can go anytime you want, you don’t have to book or rely on anyone else,” she said. “I think this is going to be my weekly ritual.” | “With the wall you can go anytime you want, you don’t have to book or rely on anyone else,” she said. “I think this is going to be my weekly ritual.” |