Gyms play a vital role in improving people's physical and mental health, particularly during the coronavirus pandemic as we look for ways to keep healthy and exercise. Many gym owners have invested substantial amounts of time, money and effort to ensure they are operating in a Covid-secure manner so that members can exercise safely during this difficult period.
This week, Lucy visited Nuffield Health at the Forge Retail Park to meet with staff, discuss the challenges and opportunities facing fitness centres in Telford and across the country and find out more about the steps they have taken to keep their members safe and adapt to coronavirus restrictions.
Nuffield Health is the UK’s largest healthcare charity, operating 31 hospitals, 113 fitness and wellbeing clubs, healthcare clinics and over 200 workplace wellbeing centres to support communities to improve physical and mental health across all settings. Their primary objective is to advance, promote and maintain health and healthcare of all descriptions. The charity has worked hard to reopen as many facilities as possible with increased social distancing and strict sanitisation protocols to ensure the safety of all staff and members.
As part of the visit, Lucy spoke with gym staff about what they are doing to support public health and learned more about the charity’s partnership with NHS trusts to help rehabilitate coronavirus patients in community settings.
Gyms across the country are facing significant challenges in light of stricter, temporary measures to protect the NHS and reduce the spread of the virus. Lucy is urging ministers to ensure that gyms and fitness centres are allowed to reopen as soon as possible and, in any event, no later than 2nd December.
