As South Africa’s state of lockdown was announced on Monday 23 March, many began to wonder how to stay fit if they couldn’t go for a daily run or walk or workout in the gym.

Exercise is not only an immune booster but may also make a significant difference to your mental health. Unfortunately, it’s not possible for everyone to head outside into a backyard for some fresh air. Here are some tips to get your daily burst of exercise inside your home.

1. Don’t complicate things

If you didn’t manage to gather some equipment before shops closed, this doesn’t mean that you can’t exercise at home. Utilise whatever you can – that yoga mat you’ve never used before, a soft towel, a low bench, canned food to use as dumbbells – they can all be used with great success. You can also rely on body weight exercises such as push-ups, sit-ups and squats, and combine them with high-intensity moves such as star jumps or high-knees. This article gives great tips on what exercises to do, and these are the top five exercises you can easily do in your lounge.

2. Go online

Not only will some jobs be done remotely during this time, but we will also have to rely on the internet for fitness classes or guidance. Finding an online video will especially help if you are a beginner and not sure how to put an effective home workout together. Whether you are willing to pay for an app, or find free options, the choices are endless.

3. Give it your full attention

Focus solely on your exercise routine during the time you set aside for fitness. Now is not the time to read an email or listen to the news in the background. Use this time not only to boost your body, but also to give your mental health a break, especially during times where we feel anxious. If you simply can’t focus during a sweat session, try yoga or meditation to help you breathe. Not sure yoga is for you? This article may convince you.

Don’t want a long workout? This 4-minute workout can burn fat and speed up the metabolism if you are looking for something short, but effective. 

4. Gather the pets

While you are not allowed to take your dogs for a walk, they also need to be entertained. Why don’t you make it a team effort? Play tug-of-war and fetch, but as your dog searches for the ball, do a quick run-on-the spot or a set of squats or lunges. As silly as it sounds, it can be great fun – and your dog will be amused.

5. Try something new – but don’t overthink it

We’ve heard how we are supposed to use this time in lockdown create new habits or try a new form of exercise. For many, that is simply not realistic as we might feel anxious and depressed about an unforeseen future. Have fun and try something new by all means, but don’t feel the pressure to do so. If you’ve never incorporated strength training in your running routine, now might be the time to work properly on your form, for example. Time to dust off those dumbbells and that bench in the garage!

READ | How to DIY a circuit workout at home

READ | 20 of the best exercise tips

READ | The beginner’s guide to weight training

^{Image credit: iStock}

Marelize Wilke

A WhatsApp voicenote which was widely spread in SA, and shared under the pretense that it was from a top expert, was supposed to just be a message of caution from a worried daughter, to her mother.

On Saturday the voicenote, which Health24 has now established was sent by an unidentified young doctor, had been circulating with an accompanying message claiming the voice was of a top expert at Groote Schuur hospital.

But the expert, Dr Diana Hardie, confirmed to Health24 that the voice on the recording was not hers. Groote Schuur Hospital further distanced itself from the voicenote, in a statement.

Health24 can confirm that the recording was not meant to be circulated, but was meant for the mother of the person who recorded it, only.

On the voicenote, the person speaking refers often to Professor Zilla, which Health24 further established was Professor Peter Zilla, head of the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Chris Barnard Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery.

After reaching out to Professor Zilla, he confirmed that the voicenote was not intended to be shared.

“This was a private message of a young doctor to her mother to scare her into staying home, as she falls into a high-risk group,” Professor Zilla told Health24.

It was never meant to end up as an objective truth on social media, he said.

He also referred to the statement from Groote Schuur Hospital, saying that he hopes it clarifies the issue.

Punishment for fake news

It’s unclear where in the process it was decided, or who decided to claim that the person speaking on the voicenote was Dr Hardie.

But the government has warned of repercussions for people who create and spread fake news.On the government’s website, it clearly says: “Anyone that creates or spreads fake news about the coronavirus Covid-19 is liable for prosecution. Verify the information before you share information.”

Earlier this week, News24 reported that three people would be charged in connection with fake news.

The three people were the alleged source of two fake news articles which went viral on social media.

The articles were about Chinese people inside a building at the Lebombo border post, who were supposedly using corrupt means to enter South Africa after they were refused entry at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg.

The post labelled South Africa a “banana republic”.

The other fake news article was about Japanese nationals who flew to Mozambique and tried to buy their way into South Africa, the minister said.

“Fake news tends to be more dangerous than the virus itself because it worries people.

“Because of this, and because we are in possession of the original source of the picture, I’ve instructed my officials to lay a charge with the police.

“This is the first test case of whether people posting fake news can be charged or not,” Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi said.

READ MORE | Coronavirus in SA: All the confirmed cases

READ MORE | Coronavirus: What are the criteria for a suspected case?

READ MORE | Coronavirus: Basic protective measures

^{Image credit: Getty Images}

Bevan Lakay

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN SA

Cases update: 

The latest number of confirmed cases is 1 187, and the country has recorded 31 recoveries and 1 death.

Over 28 000 tests have been conducted.

Gauteng, the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal have the highest number of confirmed cases.

Other key numbers:

Total number of patients in hospitals (both public and private): 55

Total number of patients in ICU: 4

Total number of patients in ventilation: 3

READ MORE | All the confirmed cases of coronavirus in SA

Latest news: 

A 70-year-old doctor in the Free State is in the intensive care unit after contracting the coronavirus, health minister Zweli Mkhize confirmed on Saturday.

He is one of 12 doctors who have been confirmed to have tested positive for Covid-19.

“It must be emphasised that none of these health workers were infected by patients that they were treating,” Mkhize said.

“They came into contact with their family members, friends and other colleagues who had tested positive for Covid-19. All individuals who were identified as contacts of these health workers have been put in quarantine and are being monitored.”

READ MORE | Free State doctor in ICU after contracting coronavirus as confirmed cases rise to 1 187 

The South Africans repatriated from Wuhan in China are preparing to vacate The Ranch Resort in Limpopo after all testing negative for the coronavirus after being quarantined, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said on Saturday.

National government a fortnight ago repatriated 112 citizens from the Chinese city, where the coronavirus outbreak began, and placed them in quarantine at the resort about 25km outside Polokwane.

“We had assured all South Africans that these citizens were all negative, they did not present any symptoms and therefore did not pose any risk of infection. However, we took extra precautions and quarantined them for a 14-day period,” Mkhize said.

“On arrival medical screening and Covid-19 tests were conducted. They all came out negative. We are very pleased to report to South Africans that these citizens conducted their second test in preparation for their exit. These have all come out negative.”

READ MORE | Repatriated citizens from Wuhan to vacate The Ranch after testing negative for coronavirus

A lengthy WhatsApp voicenote making some outrageous claims about the coronavirus crisis is spreading like wildfire in South Africa.

In an attempt to give the voicenote credibility, an accompanying message claims the voice is that of a Groote Schuur Hospital expert.

But the voicenote was definitely not recorded by the expert, Health24 has established.

The origin of the clip is unknown and the person speaking is yet to be identified.

The accompanying text message claims: “This is a voice note from Diana Hardie the Head of Virology, Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town. It’s her latest data on the Corona Virus and what she is preparing for… it’s doesn’t predict a pretty short term future… (sic)”

READ MORE | FAKE NEWS ALERT | WhatsApp voicenote ‘was not from me’ – Groote Schuur virologist

A man has been arrested for spreading false reports that there is no coronavirus outbreak in South Africa. 

Cele said on Saturday that the man was in a holding cell on Saturday after posting that there was “nothing called corona here” in South Africa.

Cele warned against spreading false rumours. “We won’t spare you, we’ll take you,” he told eNCA.

READ MORE | Cape Town man arrested for spreading fake news – report

The government has clarified its stance on children moving between parents during the lockdown, saying it is forbidden and that a child must remain with the parent it was with when the lockdown was effected. 

Lindiwe Zulu, the Minister of Social Development, said during an inter-ministerial briefing on Saturday that the new regulations “clearly states” that the movement of children between their “co-holders” is prohibited.

Since the national lockdown was announced, questions have been raised regarding whether a child whose time is shared between parents who live in different houses would be able to move between them during the time. 

Zulu, reading from her department’s directive relating to the regulations, said: “This is to ensure that the child is not exposed to any possible infection whilst moving from primary caregiver’s premises to the other” parent’s premises. 

WATCH | Zulu gives clarity on co-parenting: You are not allowed to move your children

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN THE REST OF THE WORLD 

Cases update:

For the latest global data, follow this interactive map from Johns Hopkins University & Medicine.

Positive cases worldwide are now more than 652 000, while deaths are more than 30 000.

The United States has more than 100 000 confirmed cases of the virus, while Italy, China, Spain and Germany all have more than 50 000.

Italy now has more than triple the number of deaths China has – more than 10 000.

READ MORE | All the confirmed cases worldwide

Latest news:

At least 15 000 people who may have caught the coronavirus from a ‘super-spreader’ guru are under strict quarantine in northern India after the Sikh religious leader died of Covid-19.

The 70-year-old guru, Baldev Singh, had returned from a trip to Europe’s virus epicentre Italy and Germany when he went preaching in more than a dozen villages in Punjab state.

It has sparked one of India’s most serious alerts related to the pandemic and special food deliveries are being made to each household under even tighter restrictions than the 21-day nationwide stay-at-home order imposed by the government.

READ MORE | 15 000 quarantined after India religious leader dies of coronavirus 

A dire lack of protective gear for health workers battling the COVID-19 pandemic is one of the most pressing threats in the fight to prevent deaths, the World Health Organisation (WHO) warned on Friday.

“The chronic global shortage of personal protective equipment is now one of the most urgent threats to our collective ability to save lives,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a virtual news conference in Geneva.

He said the WHO had shipped almost two million individual items of personal protective equipment (PPE) to 74 countries and was preparing to send a similar amount to a further 60 countries.

READ MORE | ‘Chronic’ global shortage of coronavirus protective gear: WHO

The story, referencing a recent study in the US about how the new coronavirus can survive on surfaces and in the air, is being shared widely on social media channels.

It also explains that, according to a World Health Organization (WHO) official, the WHO is considering “airborne precautions” for medical staff, on the back of this study and others being conducted globally

Health24 recently covered the results of the study where the experiments were conducted in controlled environments.

READ MORE | Coronavirus:  Concerns about if, and how it spreads in the air? Here are the facts

HEALTH TIPS (as recommended by the NICD and WHO)

• Avoid contact with people who have respiratory infections 

• Maintain social distancing – stay at least one metre away from somebody who is coughing or sneezing

• Practise frequent hand-washing, especially after direct contact with ill people or their environment

• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth, as your hands touch many surfaces and could potentially transfer the virus

• Practise respiratory hygiene – cover your mouth with your bent elbow or tissue when you cough or sneeze. Remember to dispose the tissue immediately after use.

READ MORE: Coronavirus 101 

^{Image credit: Getty Images}

Measures to target coronavirus may get tougher, Boris Johnson says in letter sent to every UK home.

There are many unanswered questions about the new coronavirus, Covid-19.

NHS England’s medical director says “every one of us has a part to play” to keep the death toll down.

It comes as the number of people who have died with the virus in the UK rose by 260 to 1,019 on Saturday.

A lengthy WhatsApp voicenote making some outrageous claims about the coronavirus crisis is spreading like wildfire in South Africa.

In an attempt to give the voicenote credibility, an accompanying message claims the voice is that of a Groote Schuur Hospital expert.

But the voicenote was definitely not recorded by the expert, Health24 has established.

The origin of the clip is unknown and the person speaking is yet to be identified.

The accompanying text message claims: “This is a voice note from Diana Hardie the Head of Virology, Grooteschuur Hospital, Cape Town. It’s her latest data on the Corona Virus and what she is preparing for… it’s doesn’t predict a pretty short term future… (sic)”

Not her

But Dr Hardie told Health24 that the voice in the clip was not hers.

In an emailed reply, she said: “I would like to put on record that this voicenote was not from me or any other virologist at Groote Schuur Hospital.

“The CEO of Groote Schuur has issued a statement distancing themselves from it.”

The statement, circulated by the Western Cape government’s (WCG) health department, reads: “We are aware of the WhatsApp messages doing the rounds of the Head of Virology speaking about the Covid-19 scenario. 

“We wish to stress that this message did not emanate from our virology department and add that this message does not represent the views or policies of the WCG: Health.

“Management regrets the confusion caused by this. We should all adhere to being responsible and heed the call to stay home.”

Health24 asked the hospital for comment but Groote Schuur Hospital communication officer Alaric Jacobs referred us to the provincial health department’s statement and said Dr Hardie would not be available for comment.

When Health24 asked if the relevant departments would attempt to establish the origin voicenote, Jacobs said the department was unclear of the source of the message, but stressed that it informed the public that the content was not the health department’s view.

Don’t give it more air time

In the voicenote, which is nearly 16 minutes long, someone claims that “a lot of things have happened within the last two weeks and I’ve kind of just been told to keep a bit quiet so we could just see exactly where things are going.

“And obviously with the president’s Station of the Nation thing, we were allowed to then, all of a sudden, you know, institute a few things and talk about the disease process because I mean, you don’t want to drive havoc and fear into everybody.”

A little bit further along, it escalates dramatically and serious allegations are made: “And the big thing that everybody needs to know is that, like, we’re probably in this pandemic and crisis because of the fact that, though China delivers a lot of stats, they’ve kept this virus under cover, you know, not wanting the economy to be affected for a long time.

“I mean the first cases are already described by them, like in June of last year, and they only let the World Health Organisation know about the virus, probably about November/December where it kind of got to a point where medical staff were insisting upon having the rest of the world know about this.”

Health24 has listened to the entire voicenote but to avoid giving it anymore air time, will not publish it or any further quotes from it.

The government has warned of repercussions for people who create and spread fake news.

On the government’s website, it clearly says: “Anyone that creates or spreads fake news about the coronavirus Covid-19 is liable for prosecution. Verify the information before you share information.”

Social media giants to play their part

Business Insider South Africa reported on Friday that spreading fake news about Covid-19, or the government’s efforts to stop its spread, is already a crime in terms of South Africa’s disaster regulations.

A six-month jail term can be imposed if it is done with the deliberate attempt to deceive.

WhatsApp, the instant messaging giant which Facebook owns, is also expected to play its part.

Under new regulations which Communications, Telecommunications and Postal Services Minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams gazetted on Thursday, a broad range of telecommunications players have “the responsibility to remove fake news related to Covid-19 from their platforms immediately after identified as such”.

‘Fake news tends to be more dangerous than the virus’

Earlier this week, News24 reported that three people would be charged in connection with fake news.

The three people were the alleged source of two fake news articles which went viral on social media.

The articles were about Chinese people inside a building at the Lebombo border post, who were supposedly using corrupt means to enter South Africa after they were refused entry at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg. The post labelled South Africa a “banana republic”.

The other fake news article was about Japanese nationals who flew to Mozambique and tried to buy their way into South Africa, the minister said. 

“Fake news tends to be more dangerous than the virus itself because it worries people.

“Because of this, and because we are in possession of the original source of the picture, I’ve instructed my officials to lay a charge with the police.

“This is the first test case of whether people posting fake news can be charged or not,” Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi said.

NOW READ | Coronavirus in SA: All the confirmed cases

READ | Coronavirus: What are the criteria for a suspected case?

READ | Coronavirus: Basic protective measures

Bevan Lakay

A recent update on the new coronavirus has resurfaced in the last few days and appears to be causing some concern.

The story, referencing a recent study in the US about how the new coronavirus can survive on surfaces and in the air, is being shared widely on social media channels.

It also explains that, according to a World Health Organization (WHO) official, the WHO is considering “airborne precautions” for medical staff, on the back of this study and others being conducted globally

Health24 recently covered the results of the study where the experiments were conducted in controlled environments.

These are the key points to know about the study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine:

• Researchers looked at the stability of the new coronavirus in aerosols, plastic, stainless steel, copper, and cardboard and estimated the decay rates.
• Based on the research, the new virus remained viable in the air for three hours
• The virus was detectable on plastic up to 72 hours
• On stainless steel for 48 hours
• On cardboard for 24 hours
• On copper for 4 hours

The researchers said their results indicate that transmission of the virus in the air and from surfaces IS PLAUSIBLE, since the virus can remain viable and infectious in aerosols for hours and on surfaces up to days.

This what Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, head of the WHO’s emerging diseases and zoonosis unit said:

According to Van Kerkhove, via the New York Post: “When you do an aerosol-generating procedure, like in a medical care facility, you have the possibility to what we call aerosolise these particles, which means they can stay in the air a little bit longer.

“And in that situation, in healthcare facilities, it’s very important that healthcare workers take additional precautions when they’re working on patients and doing those procedures. But for the everyday person, it’s the talking and the sneezing and the coughing, which is why we want the respiratory etiquette.”

READ | How long can coronavirus survive in the air and on surfaces; and why do you need to wash your hands?

READ | How mild, undocumented infections could lead to an even bigger coronavirus spread

READ | Hit by coronavirus panic? Look for data not drama

^{Image credit: Getty Images}

Compiled by Bevan Lakay