As we enter our third year of the pandemic, forecasters predict another horrific winter. But this time, children and adults alike are affected by the COVID Omicron variant. While healthy eating and exercise is a scientifically proven way to prevent hospitalizations and severe symptoms of COVID-19, these measures have been largely ignored by public schools in California.

In addition to a lack of emphasis on exercise, leaders of the San Diego Unified School District have shut down all “extracurricular” and “off-season” sports, including soccer, weightlifting, fitness. baseball and softball, group practice or cheer.

From what is an intention to mitigate the spread of the Omicron variant, these measures do a lot more harm than good. To ensure the safety of our students, a greater emphasis on healthy exercise habits in California public schools, especially here in San Diego, is imperative.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said about 78 percent of people who were hospitalized, needed a ventilator, or died from COVID-19 were overweight or obese. The CDC also states that 20 percent of children and teens in the United States are obese. Instead of focusing their full attention on other prevention strategies such as wearing a mask, staying at least three feet away from others, and washing their hands, schools should promote the importance of eating well, exercise and weight management as a way to prevent COVID.

Research suggests that people who exercised regularly and then tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 were less likely to experience more severe COVID-19 results. Therefore, it is imperative that schools implement comprehensive physical activity programs with quality physical education as a cornerstone. Children and adolescents should receive at least 60 minutes of supervised physical activity each day and be encouraged to participate in extracurricular sports. The San Diego Unified School District’s decision to shut down extracurricular and off-season sports limits students’ ability to exercise in an organized and supervised environment. The district’s actions are counterproductive and run counter to research indicating that more exercise means less risk of developing severe COVID.

Research has also confirmed that being overweight is a factor that contributes to exacerbating the damaging effects of COVID and it appears that this deadly virus may be around for a long time, so it is imperative that educators promote healthy lifestyles to prevent COVID. Schools need to start incorporating nutrition education into their daily lesson plans throughout the curriculum by encouraging healthy choices. Regular physical activity to reduce the severity of COVID disease should be encouraged by school districts and public health agencies.

School closures meant to keep students safe during the pandemic have introduced another set of dangers: anxiety, stress, depression and other serious mental health issues that negatively affect students and their families. Many public school teachers will agree that they were unprepared for the mental health issues and other impacts distance education had on their students when they returned to in-person teaching. The lack of physical activity during school closings and the abundance of screen time during distance learning only worsened the problems with the physical and mental health of the students.

Most frontline educators are already vaccinated against COVID and although public health experts say vaccines are an important part of keeping schools safe and avoiding quarantine disruptions, school districts should also provide ” employee wellness programs ”which include healthy eating and physical activity services for teachers and all school staff. Workplace wellness programs can improve staff productivity while reducing absenteeism and employee health costs such as those associated with COVID.

To help prevent the harmful effects of COVID variants and strengthen our students’ immune systems, schools must promote healthy eating and physical activity from the playground to the classroom so that we can beat COVID and other diseases in the future. By adopting sound guidelines, schools can teach students more than reading, writing and arithmetic. Instead of knee-jerk reactions such as canceling extracurricular and off-season sports, schools can provide the tools and resources students need to lead healthy, active lives and reduce childhood obesity.