Estonians swim in freezing conditions to kill lockdown boredom

Estonia has found a new way to beat the boredom generated by the coronavirus restrictions, and that is, winter swimming.

According to a Reuters report, over 500 Estonians braced against the near-freezing waters of Tallinn port in Estonia, taking part in a giant winter swimming relay.

Each participant in the event swam 25 metres (27 yards) in a course laid out in a former submarine dockyard. The 505 participants took a cumulative time of 4 hours and 50 minutes to complete the event.

The swimmers came in all sizes and age groups, from 9-year-olds to 80+ year-olds. Even pregnant women participated in the event where hundreds of spectators cheered them on.

“It’s actually a smart thing to do at this moment.When you’re doing this, your body produces extra white blood cells. So, if a virus comes in, there are more white blood cells to attack it and kill it,” Roy Vissers, one of the swimmers, was quoted by Reuters as saying.

Also read: Udderly healthy: donkey milk a hit in Albania

Organizers say the sport has grown in popularity since Estonia first went into a coronavirus lockdown.