Gyms can now reopen one week earlier than originally scheduled, but still later than the bar and restaurant. We asked the public for their opinions about this policy.
On last Wednesday evening, First Minister Mark Drakeford brought forward the reopening of gyms and leisure centres from May 10 to May 3.
He noted that this was due to the continued improvement in public health in Wales, with a reduction in Covid-19 cases prompting the change.
That’s a week earlier than previously suggested. The indoor services will be able to resume trading for individual or one-to-one training, but not for exercise classes at that time.
Unlike the gyms in England, which reopened on 12 April, the Welsh Government has remained cautious over the reopening of gyms, pointing to fears of the more transmissible and highly infectious Kent variant of Covid-19 taking hold in the country.
But a different policy with England has sparked a public debate about gym opening hours. After the lockdown the gym not being open at the same time as the restaurants and bars. Is there enough outdoor exercise to satisfy people’s fitness needs? We asked the public in Cardiff about their opinion on the policy.
Krajcovicova, 21, student
I can feel the impact of not going to the gym on my health. And I think gyms are more important for health than perhaps in restaurants. I don’t know why it’s still closed. If they made the same policy as in the restaurant. I can do exercise outdoors, but it’s not the same because cardio is not everything and the atmosphere is different as well.
Julian, 54, plaster
The best form of exercise for me is outside exercising is better than any gym anyway. My experience being 54 years of age, do a lot of mountain walking or running on the beaches. But I’m going to say that, if people can’t do it, because of their jobs in the city. Just open the gym give a more chance to people.
Jaklina, 25, Market strategy analyst
Obviously, January to March have been very cold months, and it gets dark at four, so I can’t really come out to work out. They’ve been following quite strict guidance in relation to, like safety measures inside. So, I don’t think there is enough evidence that proves that this is a very high risk for in gyms, so I think they should have considered maybe opening them a little bit earlier.
Alex, 21, student
I think the gym is definitely different to having, like going for a run or exercising outdoors. But I do understand that they have to stagger it. Because you don’t want everyone just opening everything up, but all at once, because that could lead to like a massive spike, I personally don’t use the germ, so it doesn’t affect.
Sean, 43, Finance
I don’t see the point of us being allowed to travel in and out of England, but we can’t use the gym in the city. For a lot of people, gyms are not just an activity. They’re part of the trade treatment regime. Like depression, suicide, anxiety or even a substance addiction. So when it comes to private treatments, it’s not really appropriate to expose yourself to the outdoors.
Megan, 21, student
All those things open before the gyms, because gyms, I feel like I’m way more important, like I’m quite into fitness, and there’s a lot you can’t do at home. A lot of the things people use at the gym is obviously big, heavy weights, if you were to buy them yourself, they would cost hundreds and hundreds of pounds that people don’t have.