WAYNE Hudson looks set to provide the momentary small beacon of hope for young Port Macquarie surfers in amongst the COVID-19 chaos.
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On Sunday night, the Prime Minister announced widespread business shutdowns.
Australia's clubs, pubs and restaurants have been ordered to close from midday Monday, March 23.
Churches, casinos, cinemas, gyms, indoor sports venues and entertainment venues must also close, along with the licensed parts of hotels.
But one item that wasn't on that extensive list was Port Macquarie Surf School ... yet.
It will continue to operate as normal despite the announcement relating to shutting down social gatherings with large numbers.
Hudson wanted to make sure he was doing the right thing so he asked for a second opinion from his GP during his visit on Monday morning.
While he doesn't know how much longer he will be able to hold lessons, he wanted to push on.
The doctor I spoke to said physical fitness is one of the key attributes in fighting infection; the fitter you are, the better your immune system can be.
- Wayne Hudson
"The doctor I spoke to said physical fitness is one of the key attributes in fighting infection; the fitter you are, the better your immune system can be," he said.
"There are stresses around, but you can't have that negative mindset because it won't help you emotionally."
Precautions will still be taken with the surf school bus washed out and disinfected with bleach and wiped over before class to minimise the risk of cross-contamination.
"With the minimal contact you have at a surf school, what you're doing is as good as you can be doing at the moment and we're comfortable we should still be running," Hudson said.
But the safety measures won't stop there.
"We provide afternoon tea anyway, but we will sanitise the kids' hands when they turn up, use gloves and give out food individually," he said.
While the maximum amount of students was only 24 at any one time, social distancing measures won't be impacted because students are always required to be more than a metre apart out in the ocean.
We provide afternoon tea anyway, but we will sanitise the kids' hands when they turn up, use gloves and give out food individually.
- Wayne Hudson
"We've been told while they're in the open ocean it's a minimal risk at the moment with only the four cases in our area," Hudson said.
He did, however, emphasise the need to use common sense.
"Let's not go crazy and have a million kids at the beach, but let's take precautions and get out there and have a bit of activity so the kids are active," Hudson said.
"Imagine two or three weeks of kids being inside ... they'd kill each other."
Exercise and Sports Science Australia then sent out a press release on Monday morning discussing the effect of exercise on brain health.
"It's important that people remember that exercise isn't just about physical health," says ESSA chief executive Anita Hobson-Powell said.
"Hopefully by highlighting the important benefits of exercise for brain health, we can encourage more Australians to meet the national guidelines of a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity each week."
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