Coronavirus: Chelsea Edghill keeping safe and in shape in Portugal

National table tennis player, Chelsea Edghill, is currently in Portugal preparing for the Olympic Games qualifiers, which have been put on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic.

According to the World Health Organisation, as of March 24, Portugal had 2,300 confirmed cases of COVID-19.

For Chelsea, the lockdown has not only affected her training, but it has forced her to deal with the mental battle of being away from her family.

“The current pandemic has affected my practice very drastically as we are not able to practice because all of the training centers on lockdown and we are told not to return to training until the lockdown has been lifted.”

She added, “Managing to stay fit is a task, but it is something I have to do because the work never stops and every day, almost twice a day, I have to push myself to keep active to do basic routines in the house- push-ups, sit-ups; things that I can do without needing a gym.”

The 2019 Senior Sportswoman-of-the-Year was preparing for the World Table Tennis Championship (Korea), Singles and Mixed Doubles Continental qualification for Olympics (Argentina) and the Caribbean championships.

Edghill, who is also a graduate from the Lindenwood University with a Degree in Chemistry, had a message for Guyanese.

“Practice social distancing, follow the provided guidelines concerning hand washing and sanitising. If it is that you can, stay home and not engage in unnecessary socialising. It will save lives. For the younger healthier persons, you have a big part to play in this by being more health-conscious and following guidelines because the virus may not prove fatal to you, but to those with compromised immune systems, they do not share the same fate as you.”

“Be mindful, if not for yourselves, for the older generation of people and those who have pre-existing conditions. It is a time for your compassion and for you to care about those around you so that we can beat this virus together.”