Coronavirus: How to exercise outside during the COVID-19 pandemic

There is a lack of clarity (as is probably inevitable in an unprecedented situation which changes by the day).

But one thing is clear: if you keep more than 1.5 metres away from other people you are unlikely to catch COVID-19 - and unlikely to pass it on.

So the big rule is: whatever you do, do not do it with other people nearby.

The coronavirus (which causes the COVID-19 illness) is spread by sick people coughing and the droplets being breathed in by others, either directly or through picking it up from door-knobs and the like.

If you stay home, you will not catch it from people outside.

The federal government guidelines (endorsed by the ACT government) are:

"Everyone should stay home unless for:

This is a grey area. What does "exercise in compliance with the public gathering requirements" mean?

Can you, for example, get in your car alone and head into the bush for cycling or strenuous walking?

The ACT government said exercise away from home was allowed in groups of no more than two and providing the strict 1.5 metre, social-distancing rules were kept.

"People are allowed to travel for essential reasons, including to exercise," a spokeswoman said.

The difficulty comes if everyone has the same idea.

It is unlikely, for example, that every one of the hundreds in the Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve over the weekend was arrogant and defiant of the rules.

It might be that they all thought they would go somewhere alone and the result of good intentions was a crowd.

So, if you go somewhere and there are crowds (and a crowd is defined in these strange times as more than two people), back away and try somewhere else, ideally home and the flat floor for sit-ups and the steps for step-ups.

Tidbinbilla and Namadgi Visitor Information Centres as well as campgrounds and playgrounds within the parks are closed. So are playgrounds, skate parks and outside gyms in public places.

But other places remain open.

Lake Burley Griffin's footpaths remain open - but the trouble last weekend was that runners and cyclists were sometimes going close to walkers who were trying to keep their distance.

The advice remains: go if you can obey the rules. If you can't, don't.

"The NSW border is not closed, the Googong Foreshore is not 'off limits'," said a spokeswoman for the ACT government.

But that does not mean you should go there.

"We are asking Canberrans to apply common sense and only travel when necessary. There are also parks and reserves across Canberra that are open and provide opportunities for people to exercise in line with the rules about public gatherings," the ACT government spokeswoman said.

The NSW government indicated it would prefer people to keep fit at home.

"Simple exercises .... can be performed in the home without needing specialised equipment, some examples include stretching, lifting small objects, push-ups, sit-ups etc," a statement said.

Golf courses remain open, including public ones.

There's been some confusion. The NSW government said on Wednesday courses could stay open after previously saying they should close.

In the ACT, the Capital Public Golf Course plans to be open over the weekend from 7am through until about 5.30pm.

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It costs $35 for 18 holes and $26 for nine holes.

But, again, if everyone thinks that golf is the way to get exercise, the system breaks down.

Fairbairn was also advertising as being open. Both courses demand booking first.

The Royal Canberra Golf Club remains open but only for members and not even for those who belong to other clubs which usually have reciprocal arrangements.

Its general manager, Matt Olson, said the rule was: only two people playing together. Buggies could only have one person unless two spouses rode together.

Means of transmitting the virus had been minimised so that plastic cups had been placed in holes so the ball could be retrieved without touching anything else, so leaving traces of the virus for others to get.

The club was open to members because their mental health and welfare depended on sometimes leaving the house, Mr Olson said.

"It's exercise. If you are within four walls all day, you are going to go a bit batty," Mr Olson said.

ACT Policing has indicated officers will fine people up to $8000 as an "absolute last resort" if they breach social distancing rules.

This seems to indicate that the first approach will be to suggest different behaviour - moving away from an area and other people - but the big stick is there for defiant stupidity.

NSW Police commissioner Michael Fuller said: "A good rule of thumb is that if you are questioning whether you should be doing something, it is best to give it a miss."

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