Indoor, high-intensity fitness classes may help spread the coronavirus
As more U.S. states reopen and people return to public life, dance fitness classes in South Korea tell a cautionary tale. A workshop to train instructors for the classes, which are similar to Zumba, ultimately led to more than 100 people falling sick with COVID-19, a new study finds. Nearly 30 teachers participated in the Feb. 15 workshop, which involved intense physical activity for four hours. Later, it was revealed that eight of the participants were infected with the coronavirus, though none had symptoms at the time. By March 9, scientists had identified 112 cases linked to roughly hour-long dance classes at 12 sports facilities and traced them back to the workshop. The turbulent air flow caused by intense physical exercise in densely populated sports facilities could help spread the virus, the researchers report in the August Emerging Infectious Diseases. Sign up for e-mail updates on the latest coronavirus news and research Curiously, one infected...