Around the world, there is growing evidence that gyms and fitness clubs can be safe places to be in amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.
Between 1 January and 10 November, there have been over 2.6 million check-ins across our network of clubs in Malaysia. From this number, there have only been 3 Covid-19 positive cases reported among our membership base – which translates to about 1 reported case per 870,000 member check-ins. There is also no evidence to date of any transmissions within our gym environment, whether to other members or staff.
Our data is consistent with several other studies from around the world including Fitness Australia, ExerciseNZ and Sheffield Hallam University, which demonstrate that with the right precautions and protocols in place, attending a gym can be regarded as relatively low-risk. It is widely reported how exercise is a critical component to overall wellbeing, physical health, mental health, and general immune response.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, we introduced a set of protocols aimed at mitigating the risks of contracting the virus in our clubs, including increasing the frequency of cleaning within our clubs, providing hand sanitisers and additional disinfectant sprays, asking members to ensure they wear a mask when arriving and departing, wiping down equipment with disinfectant before and after use.
During the Movement Control Order (MCO), we worked closely with the various Ministries and local authorities as well as our other industry counterparts to develop a set of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the fitness industry – all of which have been implemented in our clubs upon reopening in the Recovery Movement Control Order (RMCO) phase.
With the right protocols in place, and when these are adhered to closely by all members and staff, exercising in a gym is as safe as it can be.