On Air Now
Heart Breakfast with JK and Amanda Holden 6:30am - 10am
PureGym and Total Fitness reveal health and safety plans for when they reopen
5 June 2020, 13:42
While gyms are still closed amid the COVID-19 pandemic, some are taking this time to prepare for when they are able to reopen.
On March 23, gyms across the UK closed their doors when the Government announced a lockdown.
Now, there is some hope that gyms may be able to reopen their doors on July 4 at the earliest, leading many to prepare new health and safety measures to keep their staff and customers safe.
Among these brands is PureGym, who have 230 gyms across the UK.
The team at PureGym are changing the way their gyms work in order for people to be able to return, while remaining safe from the virus.
READ MORE: Face coverings to be compulsory on public transport in England from June 15
Cleaning stations will be put in the gyms, with tape on their floors surrounding machines, and screens put up around some equipment.
PureGym are believed to have out together an eight-step plan in a document, which was sent to investors, explaining their plans for when gyms are able to reopen.
The gym is looking to reduce transmission of the virus through air and through surfaces, and so are planning to educate and train their staff on the new protocols, and allow them to prepare for potential incidents.
A spokesperson for the brand said: "PureGym has been working in close consultation with UK Active and the Government to layout re-opening protocols, which will ensure we create a safe place to work and a safe place to workout when we re-open our doors.
"We will provide highly sanitised facilities for the safety of our members and staff through enhanced cleaning and disinfection regimes. Our equipment will be spread out and user numbers will be monitored and limited to ensure safe distances are maintained."
They added that their safety protocols are in place in Switzerland – where gyms have reopened – and have received positive feedback from members.
They added: "We recognise the positive role PureGym can play in supporting the health of the nation and our members' desire to build gym workouts back into their lifestyles and look forward to welcoming our members back soon."
Another gym brand with the came plans is Total Fitness, who have plans for social distancing and new safety measures, as well as employing extra staff to enforce the new regulations.
Total Fitness will be cleaning equipment, as well as adding three square meter distances to each machine.
Sophie Lawler, CEO of Total Fitness said: "The activity sector has long served in the fight against preventable disease and at no time in my recollection has this been more important than now. It's been exceptionally encouraging to hear physical activity talked about so much since the start of the crisis - indeed we've talked about it more in the last seven weeks than we have in the last seven years.
"We applaud the people who have continued to exercise and those who have joined the active population more recently - this is simply brilliant.
"We know from our decades of experience as health club operators that exercising alone at home isn't the full solution for achieving sustainable lifestyle change and that the vast majority of people need additional support - namely variety; visit commitment (a date with a destination) and; social connection.
"From the start of the closure the entire sector came together - very much in the spirit of the fitness community - to co-create a unilateral protocol for reopening safely on the other side.
"Facilitated by our sector representative body UK Active we have a robust set of guidelines for safe operations to which we're all committed.
"The health club sector is exceptionally well-set to help support the fight against Covid-19, and Total Fitness is absolutely best placed to do so. This is a sector that is unquestionably part of the solution.
"Total Fitness health clubs have super scale facilities that enable a great deal of variety, space and social connection, giving us the opportunity to reopen safely and provide the well needed additional motivating factors needed to keep our members physically and mentally resilient.
"We are guided by the government advice and our sector-wide framework facilitated by the team at UK Active - we will take their lead and will be ready to open as soon as permitted."
