Music and dance the perfect tonic for virus blues

ISTANBUL－Many residents in a central district of Istanbul started to pour into an oasis-like park as soon as the working day was officially over on Friday evening.

Like most of the others, the Pektas family was in a rush to catch the aerobic session in the Artists Park in the Etiler neighborhood.

Esra Pektas, with her husband and six-year-old daughter, chose a spot on the grass field where she could see the coach well enough to be able to follow the drills. For at least one hour, accompanied by some energetic music, she focused on her body.

Local authorities in the crowded district of Besiktas in the city have recently launched an all-out fight against stress that reached a peak due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

They decided to offer the residents yoga classes, meditation gatherings, concerts and aerobic sessions to cheer them up and alleviate their coronavirus-related concerns.

"For almost four months, our people stayed at home due to the partial curfews imposed to curb the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, and as a result, many were traumatized," said Riza Akpolat, mayor of the Besiktas municipality.

People's anxieties over getting infected with coronavirus have also been growing as the easing of measures continues, he said.

After consulting several specialists and talking to the residents, Akpolat's teams realized that most people needed psycho-social support. Therefore, they assigned several psychotherapists to guide people on how to cope with their COVID-19-related concerns.

The programs start simultaneously at 5 pm each Friday at six large parks across the district.

"Professionals have been leading the attendees in releasing their stresses and concerns through these activities," an official with the municipality's press office said.

Xinhua