TRAINING PRACTICES OF FILIPINO ATHLETES DURING THE EARLY COVID-19 LOCKDOWN

The imposition of COVID-19 lockdown restricted the daily activities of many people, including athletes. This study investigated the training practices of athletes in the Philippines during the early COVID-19 lockdown. A total of 442 athletes answered an online survey (May-July 2020), with questions pertaining to training practices, such as training frequency and duration. Data were analyzed according to: athlete classification (world-class, international, national, state, or recreational), sport category (individual or team), and sex (male or female). During lockdown, significant reductions in training frequency (except recreational, i.e., lower pre-lockdown training) and duration were observed for all athletic classifications. Similarly, training frequency and duration decreased significantly irrespective of sport category and sex. World class athletes appeared to be less affected by lockdown (types of exercise and specific training) as compared to lower-classification athletes. Athletes grouped in accordance with sex and sport category demonstrated little to no difference in training practices during the COVID-19 lockdown. The findings of the current study highlight the challenges experienced by athletes during lockdown, which may aid policy makers in the development of guidelines related to lockdown or lockdown-like situations to establish appropriate support for affected athletes. © 2022, University of Zagreb - Faculty of Kinesiology. All rights reserved.

Restriction of public transport services as a part of COVID-19 containment policies and user responses

Among different modes of transport, public transport is the most directly affected one as it is irreconcilable to the widely adopted approach of social distancing. The sudden drop of the travel demand challenged the collectiveness of carriage of passengers, which is a fundamental concept of public transport. In this chapter, two datasets are explored to understand the response of public transport in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. An analysis of Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker (OxCGRT) data implies that the restrictions in public transport were implemented often as an accompanying measure to intensify general restrictions of human movements such as “lockdown,” but a smaller number of countries restricted public transport in order to hinder human gatherings on board for long periods. An analysis of the TU Wien dataset shows that, in the early phase of the pandemic, home office was the major driver to shift passengers away from public transport, but shifts to other modes were also observed. Fear of infection risk on board was the major motivation to change the travel mode, while a majority of those who remained on public transport had no alternative. Even during an epidemic, restriction of public transport may lead to de facto loss of mobility for those who have to be mobile but who do not own motorized private vehicles for the distances beyond walkable or bikeable range. Public transport sector has to be prepared for next similar possible epidemics so that closure is avoided while other necessary measures are implemented.

A Covid-19 Positive Case Prediction and People Movement Restriction Classification

The world experienced a pandemic that changed people's daily life due to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (covid-19). In Jakarta, the covid-19 cases were discovered on March 18, 2020, and the case increased uncontrollably until the government conducted a movement restriction called pembatasan sosial berskala besar (PSBB). The effectivity of movement restriction was not evaluated in detail. Therefore, we investigated the covid-19 cases in the PSBB period to understand the contribution of movement restriction. Moreover, a prediction model is proposed to computerize the decision of movement restriction. The models are divided into regression and classification models. The regression model is developed to forecast the number of infected cases. At the same time, the classification model is used to identify the best movement restriction type. We utilize data transformation named Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to reduce the number of features. In our case, the best regression method is Multiple Linear Regression (MLP). Then, the best classification method is the Support Vector Machine (SVM). The MLP results are 148.38, 37036.37, and 0.250336 for Mean Absolute Error (MAE), Mean Square Error (MSE), and R2, respectively. In contrast, the SVM achieved an accuracy of 84.81%. Moreover, the prediction system on the website were successfully deployed. © 2022, International Journal of Advanced Computer Science and Applications. All rights reserved.

A Decision Support System for Restricted Movement with Semaphores During Lockdown in COVID-19 Pandemic

In the wake of COVID-19 pandemic in India, E-pass system was introduced to facilitate movements for emergency and was considered as an essential measure to curtail the spread of coronavirus, as it prohibits non-essential travel. This paper studies the optimization problem of sanctioning E-pass for restricted movements during COVID-19 pandemic. The paper arrives at the solution of using counting semaphores as an optimized solution for restricting the movements and as a result, curbing the spread of the pandemic. For any movement within the district and the state, our paper has proposed the count allowed to be in terms of counting semaphores and thus eliminating intermediaries to make illegal gains from it. In addition, the usage of semaphores in the E-pass system helps us with an upper limit of the movement permitted at a particular time. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

The Impact of the Emerging Coronavirus (COVID-19) on E-Commerce in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

-Despite efforts by some governments to encourage online commerce during the pandemic, it remains out of reach for some groups due to entrenched digital divides. Additionally, regulations that are not suitable for e-commerce can create barriers for businesses. Although many of these challenges predate the outbreak of the virus, the current crisis and the new role of e-commerce for consumers and businesses heightens the need for public action. This research aimed to study the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on customer orientation in electronic commerce by understanding the influence of precautionary measures (home quarantine, travel limits, anxiety, and psychological anxiety) on electronic commerce (e-commerce). For this purpose, a questionnaire was distributed to a sample size of 492 individuals in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Further, to analyze the study data, the SEM structural equations method was used via the Smart PLS. After analyzing and testing the hypotheses of the study, it was found that there is a direct positive impact of the emerging coronavirus (COVID-19) on customer behavior toward e-commerce in Saudi Arabia. There is a positive, direct effect of home quarantine on the orientation of individuals toward e-commerce. Moreover, there is a positive, direct impact of movement restriction on the orientation of individuals toward e-commerce. Finally, there is a positive, direct effect of psychological anxiety on the attitude of individuals toward e-commerce. © 2022, World Scientific and Engineering Academy and Society. All rights reserved.

Physical activity and sitting time prior to and during COVID-19 lockdown in Austrian high-school students.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led in many countries to the implementation of policies that mandate social distancing and movement restrictions. While these measures are warranted in order to minimize the spread of the virus they may have detrimental effects on various behaviors, including physical activity (PA). The present study examined PA and sitting time in 14 to18-year-old Austrian high school students prior to and during the second COVID-19 lockdown in Austria. Data was collected via an online questionnaire during fall/winter 2020/21. Questions were based on the International Physical Activity Questionnaire, which examined frequency and duration of PA and sitting time. A total of 221 high school students provided valid data. Participants reported significantly lower moderate and vigorous PA during the lockdown while sitting time increased (p < 0.01). The frequency of walking (days/week) also decreased during COVID-19 lockdown, which also contributed to a significant decline in total walking time (p < 0.01). Further, the decline in PA was more pronounced in boys, while girls reported a greater decline in walking. These differences were due to higher PA and walking in boys and girls, respectively, prior to the lockdown. During the lockdown sex differences in PA and sitting time were limited. Taken together, these results highlight the impact of COVID-19 policies on PA in adolescents and emphasize the importance to promote an active lifestyle even in times of home confinement.

The Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic Movement Restrictions on Self-Reported Physical Activity and Health in New Zealand: A Cross-Sectional Survey.

This study describes self-reported physical activity (PA), motivation to exercise, physical and mental health and feelings towards PA during the March-May 2020 COVID-19 lockdown in New Zealand. Adults over the age of 18 years (n = 238; 80.2% female) completed the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), the Behavioural Regulation in Exercise Questionnaire 3, the Short Form-36 and open-ended questions about PA through an anonymous online survey. Regular exercise was undertaken by 85% of respondents prior to lockdown, but only 49.8% were able to maintain their usual level of PA. Although respondents were considered sufficiently physically active from the IPAQ, 51.5% reported not being able to maintain their usual level of PA primarily due to the closure of their gym facilities. Sixty percent of respondents reported that PA had a positive effect on their overall wellbeing. When asked to specify which aspects of wellbeing were affected, the effect on mental health was reported the most while the effect on body image or fitness was reported the least. Strategies to increase or maintain engagement in physical activity during lockdowns should be encouraged to promote positive mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Disease Burden Attributable to the First Wave of COVID-19 in China and the Effect of Timing on the Cost-Effectiveness of Movement Restriction Policies.

OBJECTIVES: Movement restriction policies (MRPs) are effective in preventing/delaying COVID-19 transmission but are associated with high societal cost. This study aims to estimate the health burden of the first wave of COVID-19 in China and the cost-effectiveness of early versus late implementation of MRPs to inform preparation for future waves. METHODS: The SEIR (susceptible, exposed, infectious, and recovered) modeling framework was adapted to simulate the health and cost outcomes of initiating MRPs at different times: rapid implementation (January 23, the real-world scenario), delayed by 1 week, delayed by 2 weeks, and delayed by 4 weeks. The end point was set as the day when newly confirmed cases reached zero. Two costing perspectives were adopted: healthcare and societal. Input data were obtained from official statistics and published literature. The primary outcomes were disability-adjusted life-years, cost, and net monetary benefit. Costs were reported in both Chinese renminbi (RMB) and US dollars (USD) at 2019 values. RESULTS: The first wave of COVID-19 in China resulted in 38 348 disability adjusted life-years lost (95% CI 19 417-64 130) and 2639 billion RMB losses (95% CI 1347-4688). The rapid implementation strategy dominated all other delayed strategies. This conclusion was robust to all scenarios tested. At a willingness-to-pay threshold of 70 892 RMB (the national annual GDP per capita) per disability-adjusted life-year saved, the probability for the rapid implementation to be the optimal strategy was 96%. CONCLUSIONS: Early implementation of MRPs in response to COVID-19 reduced both the health burden and societal cost and thus should be used for future waves of COVID-19.