12 Places Doctors Won’t Recommend You to Visit During COVID-19

Gyms

Gyms are pretty germy places considering that everyone is sweating like crazy while working out. Moreover, a 2019 study in Sports Health: A Multidisciplinary Approach found that 25 percent of gym surfaces “tested positive for drug-resistant bacteria and flu pathogens.”

“I tell my older patients to go out and exercise early in the morning with a mask, as there are fewer people out and about,” she says.

Malls

Just like gyms, malls can be pretty germy places, where many surfaces can be easily contaminated. Especially the surfaces that get touched the most, such as escalator railing, racks, elevator buttons and almost every surface in the fitting room. Those surfaces are impossible to be kept clean and disinfected at all times, considering how crowded they are.

“I would still be nervous about going into an indoor mall,” says Dr. Cate, who recommends sticking to curbside pickup for now. “I would stick with that for as long as possible or online shopping. I think it’s important for us to look at this as a long-term lifestyle adjustment until there’s a vaccine because it’s hard to control how often things are going to get cleaned or if they’re going to get cleaned at all.”