Coronavirus Update 19/03/2020

Dear Members,

We remain committed to doing everything we can to continue supporting our members, colleagues and self-employed personal trainers during these challenging times.

Following the advice from UK Government to observe social distancing rules we are making additional changes within our club.

The gym will remain open but we are taking additional steps so that our members and colleagues can observe new disciplines with respect to social distancing advice.

IMPORTANT CHANGES WHEN USING THE GYM

We recognise that we play an important role for our members and local communities. As you know, we have significantly increased cleaning and hygiene protocols within the clubs. To ensure we continue to provide members with a safe place to train and specifically to provide for social distancing we are making some further changes:

• All classes have been cancelled until further notice, we sincerely apologies for this drastic inconvenience

• We are no longer lending out lockers bands so please remember to bring yours or you might not be able to gain access

• Certain items of equipment will be temporarily removed from use, to ensure the minimum 2 metre social distance, as advised by the Government, is maintained

• Personal Trainers will continue to operate where possible, please check directly with your PT

ADDITIONAL STEPS WE RECOMMEND YOU TAKE

We know that for many of you the gym is an important part of your lifestyle and, staying fit and well is now more important than ever. If you do wish to keep training, please follow these simple steps:

• Ensure you are well enough to train. If you are showing any symptoms of Coronavirus, please stay away from the gym

• Check the latest opening hours on your gym page of our website

• When in the club, leave a 2 metre distance between you and other members, to ensure that we all respect the need for social distancing

• Continue to take extra care to protect yourself and others while in the club, using the additional hygiene measures

• We will continue to do what we can to provide you with a safe and hygienic place to train. Given the on-going uncertainty we may need to make further changes and we will update you if this is the case.

Thank you for your continued support and patience as we work this through.

With the efforts of everyone at Dallington, including our members, lets work together to keep ourselves safe and well.

12/032020 – Gym and the Coronavirus: What are the Risks?

With the current global outbreak of Coronavirus, some regular gym-goers may decide to avoid their favourite venue for the risk of contracting the virus. But is there reason to worry?

Medical experts suggest that, being an opportunist virus, the gym is no more at risk than other communal areas. Especially with the virus itself spreading via cough droplets, not sweat. Viruses that cause illnesses such as COVID-19 and the seasonal flu are often spread via direct exposure to respiratory droplets expelled in the sneezes or coughs of a sick person.

This view is supported by Dr. Paul Sax, medical director of the division of infectious diseases at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. “The gym is not a place that’s necessarily riskier than other communal areas,” Sax says. “I wouldn’t say there’s anything particular about people sweating that makes them more contagious.”

The virus can also be spread via touching an infected surface then touching your eyes, nose or mouth. However, if gym members make use of hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes and other cleaning solutions while using the gym – as well bringing fresh towels and own water bottles instead of sharing cups and coolers, they should be to remain virus-free during their visit.

As well as ensuring good hygiene practices, it is also vital to remind our members and employees that if they do feel unwell, they should not be coming to the gym. Don’t push through it, don’t exercise ‘No Pain, No Gain’. Instead, keep others in mind and minimise the risk of germs spreading.

What Measures Have We Put In Place?

With this in mind, we thought it would be beneficial to highlight the precautions we are taking to ensure the safety of all our visitors and members at this current time.

Having taken guidance from all the information currently available from the NHS and PHE, and other medical experts, our primary cause of action is to be vigilant and increase levels of hygiene within our facilities.

We have stepped up on cleaning, dedicating extra time and effort to keep both our premises and equipment in tip-top condition. All machines and equipment will be wiped down as often as possible however members must do this before and after each use, soap dispensers will be fully stocked, and hand sanitiser will be made available and easily accessible. We also ask our visitors to make extra efforts also, by bring their own hand sanitiser and taking more care in hand-washing more thoroughly and often.

What Is Coronavirus?

A coronavirus is a type of virus. As a group, coronaviruses are common across the world. However, COVID-19 as recently well-publicised, is a new strain of coronavirus that causes infection in the nose, sinuses and upper throat and thought to be spread by cough droplets. Typical symptoms include:

• Cough
• Shortness of Breath
• Fever

Generally, these infections can cause more severe symptoms in people with weakened immune systems. You can do your bit by following the NHS advice to “Catch it, Bin it, Kill it”

CATCH IT

Germs spread easily. Always carry tissues and use them to catch your cough or sneeze.

BIN IT

Germs can live for several hours on tissues. Dispose of your tissue as soon as possible.

KILL IT

Hands can transfer germs to every surface you touch. Please use soap dispensers and WASH YOU HANDS!

Let’s Kill It!

Don’t let Coronavirus deter you; kill your workout and reduce your chances of sickness with Use It, Smash It, Wipe it.

USE IT

With our stepped-up cleaning regime, you can be confident when using our facilities and equipment. All weights and cardio machines are wiped down and cleaned throughout the day and after-hours. Make the most of your workout without hesitation.

SMASH IT

Now is as good a time as ever to go the extra mile in terms of health and fitness. Build up your immune system and maintain a healthy lifestyle to help combat the virus. According to MedicinePlus:

• Physical activity helps to flush bacteria out of the lungs and airways. This may reduce your chance of getting cold and flu-like illnesses.
• During exercise, antibodies and white blood cells WBCs circulate more rapidly, so they could detect illnesses earlier than they might have before.
• The brief rise in body temperature during and right after exercise may prevent bacteria from growing.
• Exercise slows down the release of stress hormones. Some stress increases the chance of illness. Lower stress hormones may protect against illness.

WIPE IT

According to the PHE (Public Health England), the Coronavirus is easily killed with regular household cleaners especially on hard surfaces, making our facilities easy to keep virus-free. If you wipe it, you kill it. Let’s kill it.

According to the CDC & World Health organisation, COVID-19 survives on surfaces, but it seems to behave like other coronaviruses. Studies suggest that coronaviruses (including preliminary information on the COVID-19 virus) may persist on surfaces for a few hours or up to several days. This may vary under different conditions, however, if you clean a surface with simple disinfectant, it will kill the virus and protect yourself and others. To protect yourself further, undertake regular handwashing with a 60% alcohol-based hand rub, or wash them with soap and water. Avoid touching your eyes, mouth, or nose.

Having taken guidance from all the information currently available from the NHS and PHE, our primary cause of action is to be vigilant and increase levels of hygiene within our facilities.

We ask our visitors to make extra efforts also, by using the provided extras, taking more care in handwashing thoroughly and often and also help us maintain the highest standards of cleanliness in regards to the equipment and facilities.

So don’t let the Coronavirus put you off, just make sure you’re gym ready! Have you got your…

• Water Bottle? Try to bring your own, fresh clean water bottle to stop you sharing cups and coolers
• Clean Gym Towel? A freshly washed gym towel is a must-have during any good workout!
• Tissues? Contain your coughs and sneezes with tissues and bin them straight away.
• Hand sanitizer? Use hand sanitizer between using equipment and after workouts.
• Fresh clothes? Make sure you’ve got a clean set of clothes for after your shower/workout.

We thank you in advance for your efforts in maintaining a clean and healthy environment, and we look forward to welcoming you back soon!