AROUND the world, there is growing evidence that gyms are gyms and fitness clubs can be safe places to be in amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Evolution Wellness Group is the owner and operator of the Celebrity Fitness, CHi Fitness, Fitness First, FIRE Fitness, and GoFit gyms. Between January 1 and November 10, 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 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 that 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), our team of executives from our Malaysia business led by managing director Andrew Phillips worked closely with the various ministries and local authorities as well as our other industry counterparts to develop a set of standard operating procedure (SOP) for the fitness industry – all of which have been implemented in our clubs upon gyms reopening in the recovery MCO phase, until now.

On behalf of my team, I applaud the government’s decision to recognise the importance of the health club sector and in considering us as an “essential service” at this time. Not only does this help support our members in their bid to continue staying fit and active, exercise is also proven to be critical for our state of mind and mental health. In addition, allowing health clubs to remain open during this time helps to preserve thousands of jobs and protect an industry which, going forward, will perhaps become more important than ever.

Our members’ cooperation and our team members’ compliance are the reasons we are able to mitigate the risks surrounding the virus in our clubs, and I’d like to take this opportunity to express my sincere thanks and appreciation to them all. With adherence to the right protocols by all members and staff, exercising in a gym is as safe as it can be.

The Covid-19 pandemic and the resulting “lockdowns” and movement restrictions mean many of us are staying home, sitting down a lot more than we usually do, and perhaps aren’t able to see our family and friends as often as we’d like. But it’s at a time like this that it becomes even more important for us to be as active as possible – whether it’s taking a short break from sitting, doing a few minutes of light intensity physical activity such as walking – which not only helps to improve physical health, but also mental wellness. – November 17, 2020.

* Simon Flint is Evolution Wellness Group CEO.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.