Plans are under discussion to bring sport and fitness back into our lives – as the government considers the reopening of gyms and leisure facilities in July.
Outdoor sports, such as football and rugby, could also be looking at a return that month if the rate of infections continues to fall. New regulations would be in place, such as training in small groups. However, public health officials will be implementing rules when it comes to contact sports – scrums in rugby, boxing and martial arts are unlikely until September at the earliest.
Initially, proposals looked at the reopening of gyms in October, but the businesses have worked tirelessly to implement sensible solutions and shared proposals, leading to the government now actively considering the reopening sooner. Health officials, the government and representatives from the gym and leisure industry will meet in the coming days to discuss the potential path to reopening.
The movement comes as a survey from Sport England / Savanta ComRes of more than 2,000 people shows the public are missing going to the gym more than any other activity during lockdown. The survey also shared that 87% of gym-goers plan to resume memberships when facilities are able to reopen, with a further 27% of none-gym members planning to sign up as soon as they’re able.
UK Active has been looking at how gyms, leisure centres and swimming pools could reopen for the past five weeks. Ensuring government guidelines are enforced and followed, the plans include two metre spacing between exercise equipment, introducing a maximum number of users within one site depending on the size of facility and deep-cleaning of areas and equipment.
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