Hey You! Get Outside!

There is a lot of misinformation circulating the internet about what to do and what not to do to prevent the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19). One bit of information that came out early on was that sunlight kills the virus. I’ve been reading a lot of articles about this and the answer to this is: sort of… maybe… it’s not very efficient. Without getting into super boring sciency stuff involving types of UV rays, lets just keep it simple. The type of UV ray that works against it will kill your cells (the time this takes is dependent upon the amount and distance you are exposed to). The other types of UV rays (the ones that give you awesome farmers’ tans) take hours to work (and this has so far been unconfirmed by a major study, so it’s hypothetical at this point).

So, can going outside stop/prevent the spread of coronavirus?

Not really. Can going outside help you fight it if you have it? Absolutely! With everyone sitting around in their homes or working inside hospitals, laboratories, and warehouses, people aren’t getting as much sun and fresh air as they need. This is unfortunate because going outside increases your ability to fight off infection. Another thing it helps fight is depression which, I fear, will be the secondary response to all of this fear and containment the coronavirus is causing.

How does going outside help you fight infection?

While researchers are still working on an effective and efficient cure for coronavirus, one thing we do know is that antibiotics don’t work on viruses. This is why sometimes when you go to the doctor’s office when you are sick, they don’t prescribe you with anything and instead tell you to get yourself some over the counter cold medicine. This cold medicine has vitamins and chemicals that essentially block the symptoms and increase your body’s ability to fight the virus off. Going outside has a similar effect by increasing the endorphins in your body and providing more vitamins (like vitamin D). Fresh air also may contain better levels of oxygen and other gasses that may increase your body’s functions. There are numerous studies on the positive effects of being outside, in the sun, breathing fresh air - this isn’t a thesis so I’m not going to list my sources - just Google it.

How does going outside fight depression?

In the same ways that it can help you get over being sick, sunlight and fresh air help fight depression. Vitamin D deficiency can cause lethargy and make you unmotivated. Yes there is vitamin D in milk; this has been added to to prevent rickets (a major issue caused by the Industrial Revolution because people weren’t going outside as much!), but milk makes me gassy and makes me think of udders… so it’s not a viable option. Vitamin D is available as daily or weekly supplements, but my real point here is that outside is free. Vitamin D is free, you just have to forage for it…. like by being outside. Anyway, vitamin D deficiency works against you concerning depression (which is why people get more emotional in the winter than the summer). Being told to stay at your house can be depressing. Not being able to do a lot of the things you love is depressing. You get the idea…. there are a lot of factors already in play, the least you can do is help yourself out FOR FREE.

But where?

Where I am now, we are still allowed to go outside on walks around the neighborhood and to the city parks. I understand this isn’t always the case. In America many people have backyards or balconies they could be on and still follow the local laws. There’s also your stoop (the area outside your front door). You could even open a window and sit in the sun. Get creative. If you are allowed to go out and be in public areas, please remember this - the CDC has issued a 6 foot rule for safety. That’s actually not terrible, considering particles from some other major respiratory diseases can fly up to 20 feet! It’s a good thing because it means the particles are large and can’t be carried in the air. This rule only really comes into play when people are coughing or sneezing, not just breathing… seriously, people don’t breathe with that much force (if they did, you’d smell everyone’s breath all the time!). So be a good human, when you’re out taking a walk, don’t be afraid to pass people and say a quick “hi”. Don’t worry about getting “the plague” because there’s a speed-walker trying to pass you. Just embrace the new (hopefully temporary) norms and GET OUTSIDE!