Coronavirus: Seventy is the new 20, for sprightly senior

Peter Grose is not your typical ­71-year-old. He has the fitness level of someone 50 years younger and doesn’t want to self-isolate.

Senior Peter Grose at his Perth business on Tuesday. Picture: Marie Nirme

Peter Grose is not your typical ­71-year-old. Six days a week, he dons his running gear and jogs around the hills and valleys of Wembley Downs in Perth’s western suburbs.

The small business owner ­covered more than 2300km last year, his last sick day off from work was in 1996 when he contracted malaria in Indonesia, and he says his fitness is the equivalent to that of a 20-year-old.

For him, the idea of having to enter mandatory self-isolation — along with every other Australian over the age of 70 — to avoid ­contracting the coronavirus is “ridiculous”.

“It’s absolutely dreadful. I don’t know where they’ve got this arbitrary 70 from. If they want to bring it in, there should be room for an exemption,” Mr Grose said.

“I’ve just had my annual check-up, all my blood tests done, and I’m absolutely as fit as a fiddle. Surely I should be able to get a letter saying I’m fit and well and should be able to continue working.”

The United Kingdom this week flagged a new plan to “protect” those aged over 70, pregnant women and those with vulnerable medical conditions by forcing them to self-isolate for 12 weeks to avoid them contracting the COVID-19 virus.

While Mr Grose says he appreciates the need for health departments to set guidelines, he believes there needs to be exemptions for those who can demonstrate their fitness level. “One size doesn’t fit all,” he told The Australian.

Apart from missing his daily runs, he said he had a very real fear about what an extended lockdown for seniors could mean to the running of the business he founded and its nine permanent staff.