Can indoor sports centers be allowed to re-open during the COVID-19 pandemic based on a certificate of equivalence?

Abstract

Within a time span of only a few months, the SARS-CoV-2 virus has managed to spread across the world. This virus can spread by close contact, which includes large droplet spray and inhalation of microscopic droplets, and by indirect contact via contaminated objects. While in most countries, supermarkets have remained open, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, authorities have ordered many other shops, restaurants, bars, music theaters and indoor sports centers to be closed. As part of COVID-19 (semi)lock-down exit strategies, many government authorities are now (May-June 2020) allowing a gradual re-opening, where sometimes indoor sport centers are last in line to be permitted to re-open. This technical note discusses the challenges in safely re-opening these facilities and the measures already suggested by others to partly tackle these challenges. It also elaborates three potential additional measures and based on these additional measures, it suggests the concept of a certificate of equivalence that could allow indoor sports centers with such a certificate to re-open safely and more rapidly. It also attempts to stimulate increased preparedness of indoor sports centers that should allow them to remain open safely during potential next waves of SARS-CoV-2 as well as future pandemics. It is concluded that fighting situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic and limiting economic damage requires increased collaboration and research by virologists, epidemiologists, microbiologists, aerosol scientists, building physicists, building services engineers and sports scientists.

Keywords: Aerodynamics; Building ventilation; Corona virus; Face masks; Filters; Fitness; Gym; Sports club.

Fig. 1

Sports contributes to several of the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations [22].

Fig. 2

Concept of (a) displacement ventilation; (b) mixing ventilation.

Fig. 3

(a) Concept of ESP with positive ionisation; (b) photo of moderate-size ESP (2.8 × 0.72 × 1.28 m³) in an indoor environment. (Source: ENS Technology, reproduced with permission); (c) photo of small-size ESP (0.79 x 0.40 x 0.13 m³) (Source: PlasmaMade, reproduced with permission).

Fig. 4

Nomogram of number of persons per 10 m² as a function of required ventilation rate per person, with the product of air change rate per hour (n) and room height (H) as a parameter (nH with unit m/h).

Fig. 5

Nomogram of number of persons per 10 m² as a function of required ventilation rate per person, with the product of air change rate per hour (n) and room height (H) and the ESP characteristics as parameters (unit of nH is m/h).