‘Make exercise the elixir across an economic divide’: A message to COVID-19 decision makers

South Africa, like other countries around the world, has used a lockdown strategy to address the initial phases of the COVID- 19 epidemic. The significant restrictions on population movement have included initially limiting exercise to the home. There is substantial evidence for the many benefits of exercise. This study specifically emphasises the benefits of exercise to the immune system, particularly for those most vulnerable to the effects of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and proposes measures to improve access to exercise in a demographically diverse and economically disparate society.