Focus should be more on healthy lifestyle during pandemic: Gommers

Emergency doctor and member of the Outbreak Management Team (OMT), Diedrerik Gomemrs, said in the BNR Podcast that the Cabinet should have placed more emphasis on healthy living during the lockdown. This includes, the ICU doctor said, going outdoors and exercising.

“Maybe I should have been more vocal, but actually we should have stimulated sports and going outside more. That should have been the measures that were relaxed first and which should have been focused on more by the Cabinet”, Gommers said.

The Cabinet had strongly emphasized social distancing measures and staying at home. “You mainly had to stay indoors, but you also need to go outside. I would have preferred that both young and old people were able to exercise outside longer. Fortunately, the weather is now improving.”

The OMT-member reminded listeners to keep their body moving and pay attention to their diet and sleep patterns. Gommers said that overall a trend of increasing weight has been noticed since the lockdown began, which is likely linked with too little exercise in combination with unhealthy food.

He said it is fine to have days where you enjoy yourself from time to time, however, “you have to pay attention that you don’t indulge too much and that you still try to live a healthy lifestyle.” The healthier your body is, the more likely you are to withstand the coronavirus should you contract it.

A study by the Trimbos Institute showed that drinking, as well as the frequency with which smokers reached for the cigarette pack, have gone up during the pandemic due to increased levels of stress. The damage that smoking causes to the lungs makes smokers more vulnerable should they become infected with the coronavirus. Alcohol has also been known to compromise the immune system leading to lower resistance to diseases.