By 
With the reopening of pubs and bars across the country on 4th July, the UK rejoice in the fact they can soon finally go and meet their friends for a nice cold pint. Along with non-essential shops, that reopened on the 15th June, the public are slowly returning to their normal lives.
However, it has been announced by the government, that some businesses must still remain closed until it can be considered safe to reopen; among these businesses are gyms and leisure centres. The government have revealed that they are hopeful that indoor gyms and leisure centres can reopen in mid-July; the regular gym-goers of the public believe it is unfair to open pubs and bars before gyms.
A petition has been created by Kyle Bramwell, with the goal of 100,000 signatures to reopen gyms and leisure centres; he notes in the petition description: ‘As myself and many people rely on gym as part of therapy or a source of happiness, I think it would be beneficial for all to reopen them.’
It is a known fact that regular exercise can improve mental health problems as well as physical ones. With the closing of gyms across the country, forcing the population of the UK to exercise at home, the public comment that there is a limit to how much they can exercise outside of the gym.
‘Your Gym,’ the local gym and leisure centre in Lytham St Annes is among the venues remaining closed under the government’s orders. Locals who rely on the Your Gym have felt uneasy knowing they will have to continue to exercise at home.
We reached out to Rob Ward, manager at Your Gym, for a comment on the government ruling of gyms remaining closed, and the petition to reopen them along with pubs and bars. He responded: ‘I have seen the petition and I am completely on board. At Your Gym, we are working closely with UK Active, wanting to inspire confidence in an environment that isn’t detrimental to our users’ health. It is quite the opposite; the health benefits from going to the gym are enormous, not just to physical health but to your mental wellbeing as well.
Gyms are generally one of the cleanest places I know, already practicing good health and hygiene before the pandemic. We have been working hard to establish a safe environment by creating a booking system to avoid overcrowding.
This system will allow people to book in advance and see how many people will be in the gym at certain time slots; there will also be a limit to how many people can be on the premises at once. We have also created more space and moved equipment around to adhere to social distancing rules.
There is no proof that the virus can be transmitted through sweat, and with all our new measures, there is no reason why we cannot open along with pubs, bars and restaurants.’
Rob provided us with these brilliant ‘myth busters’ that challenge the rumours about gyms spreading the coronavirus:
Please sign the petition here: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/307146
Sign up to Your Gym here: https://www.yourgymfitness.co.uk/
