Singapore started the enhanced 'circuit breaker' measures to deal with COVID-19 situation today until 4 May 2020.

All non-essential businesses and shops were ordered to close. Private gyms, fitness studios, public swimming pools, country clubs, bowling centres, billiard halls and the Singapore Sports Hub’s sports and recreational venues and facilities will be closed too.

However malls and parks remain open for people to buy essential goods and exercise.

If you choose to exercise outdoors, you can use the Safe Distance @ Parks, a portal created by the National Parks Board (NParks) to help you check how crowded a park is at a point in time before deciding whether to visit the park for a run.

The circles on the map represent parks, you can click on it to see their visitorship status.

Parks are ranked by three levels of visitorship: Low, Moderate and High. NParks advises that you refrain from visiting parks when they are experiencing high visitorship.

Safety precautions at parks

While the parks remain open at this time, the community is encouraged to follow the following social distancing guidelines and tips when enjoying local parks and trails during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Experts suggested that a longer safe distance is required during exercise as particles from a person's breathing, coughing or sneezing linger in the air and spread further when a person works out.

Therefore, it's advisable that for walking the distance between people moving in the same direction in a line should be at least 4 - 5 metres. For running it should be 10 metres.

What park visitors can do to help:

• Avoid picnicking, groups, gatherings or meetups
• Be aware of high-touch points such as outdoor exercise equipment (use hand sanitiser or gloves)
• Keep dogs on leash (even dogs should social distance)
• Pack-in, pack-out trash, including dog poop bags (trash collection is limited)
• Keep your outdoor exercise in your neighbourhood park only and visit when there is a low visitorship at the park
• Bring your own water and use reusable water bottles to reduce litter in the parks
• Cover your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing
• Do not spit and avoid snot rocket during running
• Bring water and hand sanitisers, and use restrooms at home before going to the park
• Park properly and safely
• Don't visit the park when you are unwell. Stop exercising immediately when you are not feeling well
• Pace yourself, avoid doing too much too soon and make sure you give your body time to rest between workouts

Staying Active During COVID-19

Stopping the spread of COVID-19 may take drastic changes to daily routines, but staying healthy through it all is still a priority. Physical activity is essential to optimal health, so it is a good idea to prepare for working out on your own.

Featured Photo Credit: 123RF

Updated on 9 April 2020.