INDUSTRY
INSIGHT
News, views and lessons learnt
INDUSTRY CALLS
FOR NATIONAL
CONSISTENCY FOR
GYMS REOPENING
DASHED AFTER VIC
VIRUS SPIKE
Ahead of Victorian gyms and fitness facilities
reopening this week, industry registration body
Fitness Australia had called on state governments to
take a national approach to gym reopening guidelines
to ensure consistency for Australia’s 4 million gym
users, more than 35,000 exercise professionals and
thousands of support staff. Developments in Victoria
in the past week, however, appear to have thwarted
these hopes.
Victorian gyms were the last cab off the rank,
with the Victorian Government permitting up to 20
people per space (clearly defined zones of at least
200 square metres each), but only 10 participants per
class, and subject to the four square metre rule and
individuals keeping at least 1.5 metres apart.
After a spike in COVID-19 cases in Victoria in
the past week, any hopes that class sizes, and total
numbers of members able to attend facilities, would
be increased to reflect the higher figures allowed in
other states have been dashed.
Fitness Australia has been fighting for safe but
fair guidelines on the reopening of gyms in all states
and territories since the first signs that Australia was
successfully flattening the curve. In additional to
state-based government guidelines, Fitness Australia
has developed a COVID Safety Plan framework for
Operations in the Fitness Industry Under COVID-19
Restrictions, available to all businesses in the
industry, as well as a COVID Safety Plan Checklist
exclusively available to Fitness Australia members.
Fitness Australia members who complete the Checklist will have the opportunity
to download and display ‘COVID Safety Plan In Place’ branded assets to show
they are adhering to strict industry reopening standards.
The Checklist has been designed to help facilities implement and follow
industry best practice procedures to safeguard the health and safety of members
and employees.
Fitness Australia CEO Barrie Elvish said ‘Ensuring gym users and the broader
community have the confidence and comfort that the fitness industry is doing
everything required to ensure a safe exercise environment is our top priority’.
Emphasising the high standards that the industry is championing, he said ‘Gyms
create a COVID safe environment when strict measures are enforced to protect
the health and safety of members and employees from COVID-19. While we are
advising all our members to check with their state government requirements,
we have gone one step further and developed a Checklist that goes beyond the
standard considerations’.
The Fitness Australia COVID Safety Plan framework is available at fitness.org.
au/covidsafetyplan and the COVID Safety Plan Checklist is available to members
via the dashboard at fitness.org.au.
Source: Fitness Australia & Australian Fitness Network
8 | NETWORK WINTER 2020