AIDA recommendations during the situation with COVID-19
The Medical and Science Committee of AIDA presented its own recommendations regarding the situation with the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. They are intended for all representatives of the freediving community in the world.
Such requirements are put forward by all AIDA instructors. They must strictly comply with all decisions of local law regarding the rules of conduct established during a pandemic. If desired, more stringent protection measures can be provided than required by law. Trainers also need to monitor the possible symptoms of COVlD-19 that students or employees themselves may experience.
At the same time, the creators of the recommendations emphasize that they do not have the authority and sufficient knowledge to create universal rules. In each country, the situation is different and the situation is changing quite quickly. Freediving course organizers and freedivers should implement the decisions of the health authorities of each individual country.
As for full-fledged diving activities and coronavirus infection, the following recommendations are given:
- If a person has a disease, complete abstinence from any water activities is recommended.
- To return to freediving activity, a decision of the doctor is necessary, who expresses his opinion after a personal examination and all necessary tests.
- Coronavirus disease can cause lung tissue damage, which threatens to increase the risk of barotrauma. Diving should only begin after a full recovery, confirmed by medical tests such as CT lungs scanning, FVC, FEVI, PEF25-50-75, RV, FEV1/FVC, and 12-Iead ECG.
- Until complete recovery, it is not recommended to perform activities such as dry or in-water exercises, packing and reverse packing, residual volume, or functional residual capacity.
It is also emphasized that no accurate data on the long-term impact of the disease on freediving activities is yet available. That is why the exact dates for a possible start of classes after recovery cannot be named.
When considering rescue procedures, the following recommendations were made:
- It is prescribed to pay increased attention to the prevention of LMC (Loss of motor control) and BO (Blackout) both during training and during the competition. In particular, staff must ensure that appropriate medical equipment is available.
- The use of BTT is considered a way in which the risk of transmission is extremely low. However, AIDA does not insist on the use of BTT during a pandemic, given that such a procedure is not specified as a life-saving procedure.
- When applying CPR, all safety precautions should be taken, technical and legal aspects remain unchanged.
- Also, when providing assistance, personal protective equipment should be used, and the number of people in the same room should be limited. It is necessary to ensure rescue breathing with a bag-mask with a filter and a tight seal.
By Yuriy - Apnea Pirate