Jogging down the road to hell: ‘Good intentions’ of Paris ban on daytime outdoor exercise will only worsen coronavirus crisis

Just as French patience is beginning to wear thin over a nationwide quarantine, Paris authorities have now prohibited any outdoor exercise in the daytime. Clearly this plan was not thought through to the end.

Perhaps the well-known adage about ‘good intentions’ and the ‘road to hell’ was never better exemplified than by the latest regulation imposed on Parisians as the battle against coronavirus shifts into overdrive.

At a time when the 2 million residents of the French capital are essentially suffering under house arrest, aside from the occasional trip to the grocery store (which requires a signed permission form for every trip), the authorities have now cracked down on one of the most effective stress relievers for urban dwellers – outdoor exercise.

For the millions of French people now holed up in their apartments, the news that they have just lost the right to go for a jog between the hours of 10am and 7pm is really adding insult to injury. This latest initiative to combat coronavirus, which further infringes upon the freedom of movement across the country, was heralded by Deputy Mayor of Paris Emmanuel Gregoire as a way to “limit risks by limiting overcrowding.” Unfortunately, the ruling promises to do exactly the opposite.

Putting aside the question as to the actual risk of exercising outdoors during a global pandemic, there is another equally important one: How exactly will a ban on outdoor exercise for nine hours throughout the day help to reduce the problem of “overcrowding” and by extension the spread of the coronavirus, which has been responsible for the death of over 10,000 French citizens out of a population of 67 million?

It is hard to imagine that many French sports enthusiasts will be deterred by the sanctions; they will predictably take full advantage of the morning and evening hours to get in their workouts. And given that the quarantine is happening at possibly the worst-imaginable time, in the wonderful springtime, few Parisians will miss an opportunity to enjoy the sunny weather. So not only will jogging log-jams continue in Paris and beyond, they will likely be far more congested than before the latest crackdown. And did anyone consider the safety of joggers and other sporting enthusiasts running around the metropolis between 7pm and 10am? These are the hours when they would be most susceptible to robbers, rapists, and other assorted fiends and troublemakers.

Then there is the mental fatigue of putting up with long-term ‘cabin fever’. Perhaps it would be wise not to underestimate the patience of the French people, even during times of a pandemic. After all, these are people who have turned public protest into a veritable art form, obvious today with the anti-government Yellow Vest protesters who just last month took to the streets yet again to express their displeasure with the government of French President Emmanuel Macron. There is already a lot of bottled up frustration and even anger inside of France. Do the authorities really need to make it worse with measures that come off as draconian? Probably not the best idea.

Even without the threat of anti-government protests, however, the French authorities risk taking their quarantine too far. Let's not forget that every person has definite psychological limits when it comes to being shut up inside of four walls, and this is something that the officials must certainly understand. So why weren’t there more creative ways of addressing the ‘problem’ of joggers on the streets of Paris instead of imposing a blanket ban?

For example, in much the same way that the drivers of certain European cities are limited to driving on days that match with their license plate numbers, Paris could have enacted something similar. They could have allowed residents from different sectors of the city to exercise at designated times throughout the day. Or why not just request that joggers maintain a ‘safe space’ between themselves to avoid any chance of infection?  

Perhaps as a way to accommodate the elderly, who may also wish to enjoy some fresh air amid the quarantine, a special time could be arranged for when they are able to venture outside, while many Parisians are at home working. Whatever final decisions the authorities decide to make, they must keep in mind the psychological effects of long-term quarantines.

With remarkable timing, a study was released in February by the Lancet entitled, ‘The psychological impact of quarantine and how to reduce it’. In it, seven researchers from King’s College London wrote quarantine during a pandemic “is often an unpleasant experience for those who undergo it. Separation from loved ones, the loss of freedom, uncertainty over disease status and boredom can, on occasion, create dramatic effects.”

The authorities would have been pleased to learn that the “potential benefits of mandatory mass quarantine need to be weighed carefully against the possible psychological costs. Successful use of quarantine as a public health measure requires us to reduce, as far as possible, the negative effects associated with it.”

That certainly seems to be advice worth heeding as not only the French, but people and governments around the world, race to find ways to contain the coronavirus outbreak without breaking down their people mentally and physically at the same time. If ever there was a time for creative thinking for addressing those fears, now is that time.

If you like this story, share it with a friend!

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.