When do you expect gyms to reopen?

[Sweetnlow]

Just that really.

When do you expect gyms/leisure centres to reopen?

Before schools? After pubs and restaurants?

I think gyms will be one of the last businesses to reopen ... and in summer there are plenty of ways you can exercise without going to one. Perhaps tennis courts and other games outside will get the nod earlier with social distancing measures (only singles for tennis? Eg?). I am a regular gym goer and have been fine in lockdown - turbo trainer for bike with Zwift, rower, plenty of classes on Instagram and YouTube. Miss the friendship of the gym but otherwise the at home stuff saves time and is convenient. Running is also an option too!

If the blueprint that was leaked is correct it rumoured October. Certainly can't see it being early on anyway. Maybe end of summer?

Sweat, heavy breathing etc lots of touching equipment and lots of people in small places. Can classes all be social distanced?

Why can a mass gathering of 50-150 people for 3-4 hours at a time, for many training sessions & later to play professional football matches be ok, but 15 people in my local swimming pool (antimicrobial soup, ffs) for an hour would be banned. So So So irritating.

I'm in the Netherlands. Here we have:-

Junior schools opening for 50% attendance from next week. Optional.

Open air terraces opening in 2 weeks, followed shortly by max 30 people in restaurants/bars/museums. All socially distanced, even with the people you came with.

Pools are then next, but no use of showering facilities.

Sports facilities for non contact sports are already open, not allowed in club house, not allowed to use showers.

Gyms are not due to open until much later (maybe September) - along with bigger groups of people. They are considered high risk.

Sooner I expect as you can socially distance and users tend to be younger and healthier

This is very depressing 😥

Outdoor fitness classes like bootcamps can get going fairly soon?

Being fit and healthy is an important part of fighting off all diseases, not just COVID
the sooner all fitness facilities are open to those who want to use them the better for the NHS

Those that feel vulnerable to catching covid will avoid places like gyms, that will make it easier for those who feel safe to practice social distancing in the gym.
HOWEVER...will gyms be able to survive financially with the reduced membership numbers?😕

I'd go today if they were open.

I need the facilities to manage my medical condition - when you can't do weightbearing exercises and need to protect joints from exceeding a normal range of motion through using equipment, buying a kettlebell isn't going to achieve anything other than a pissed off delivery driver and giving you a rather unattractive doorstop.

DP is horrified at the idea. But, as I pointed out to him, his hip joints aren't damaged when using a cheap stairclimber, he can theoretically skip without harming his ankle or achilles, he can lift free weights without risking a dislocation, he doesn't need the support and cooling effect of water, he doesn't need a decent rowing machine to ensure correct range of movement.

As soon as they're back, I will be.

Sadly not as soon as my fitness levels would like! Looking at the Irish phases plan there's no specific mention of gyms but my guess would be that they'd fall under phase 4 or 5. I stopped going to mine a couple of weeks before lockdown as it seemed like a health hazard best avoided. www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/02/ireland-extends-covid-19-lockdown-to-18-may-before-phased-exit

My gym is a uni one and generally really quiet whenever I go. It’s spread over two floors and it’s rare I see more than 5 people in there. I’d be happy to go back soon with distancing and wiping of equipment tbh.

I go to a fitness class with about thirty other women. I don’t think that class would be able to run In a confined dance studio with no fresh air with those numbers all puffing and panting and sweating.

I am also put off at the thought of someone coughing. How do you know if they have the virus or not?

With face masks and hand sanitizer it might work?

What MitziK says

My hips and knees are fucked and yet again I was crying in pain when I got up this morning

I need my aqua aerobics and my weight machines to do my exercise safely. I need my physio (in my gym) to help me walk properly.

The second they're open I'm back there

Probably when the schools reopen. I'm missing my weekly swim. I'm hoping DD's swimming lessons will start up at the same time.

The word is October.!!

Just before my gym closed they had alternate cardio machines switched off and exert one wiping everything with spray before and after use. Class numbers were capped at about 2/3 the usual capacity to allow more space, equipment for classes was cleaned at the start and end of classes, and the timetable was changed so that studios were empty for an hour between classes with the aircon running

FINDING a vaccine is not the same as vaccinating 60 million people in the UK alone

There's no reason to vaccinate the entire population. Smallpox was succesfully eradicated 40 years ago - it was the 40th anniversary yesterday - without vaccinating every single person.

As for gyms, I fear they will be among the last things to open, which is a pity. I really miss going to my swimming pool but since it's in a hotel, I don't expect it to open for several months and even then facilities like the sauna and steam bath are likely to be shut. A real shame.

No one has yet to mention changing rooms. I think I could socially distance in a limited numbers/booking only pool but what about the changing rooms? Same for the gym and classes. You can restrict numbers in classes and only use every other machine in the gym but then there's lots of sweaty people using the same small changing room.

Yeah changing rooms are a major stumbling block. Chlorine kills the virus so swimming itself is safe but unfortunately you can't be teleported into the pool and home again. Hard to see a way around this other maybe than by drastically limiting numbers. In which case it may not be worthwhile for pools/gyms to open.

Lots of Gyms & leisure centres will go out of business.
I wonder if some kind of future 'pandemic' business insurance will exist.
Seems unlikely, so there will be a business model, possibly based on more risk taking, if anyone does open up new gyms.
Entrepeneurs are good at risk taking. They can handle going bankrupt.

But the long term health costs of the gyms staying closed will massively add to the side effect death toll.

Gyms stay open during bad flu seasons.
COVID is here to stay
we have to learn to live with it

If my gym opened tomorrow I would happily go there and have a swim and do a class and change in the communal changing rooms
as would pretty much every one of my gym friends (including the over 70's and the ones with other health issues)