Fitness industry continues to be scapegoat, despite no evidence it’s “high risk”
Facilities are safe and should not remain closed in the NT
Fitness Australia is pleased the Northern Territory lockdown restrictions are to be relaxed but we are extremely disappointed to see, once again, the fitness sector has been scapegoated as allegedly unsafe and high-risk.
Given the national COVID experience over the past 15 months, it is nonsensical to allow restaurants, cafes and pubs to open but deny Territorians the ability to maintain their preferred exercise regimes in the comfort of air-conditioned facilities.
Statements made today stereotyping gyms as being “identified as the highest risk sites…you just have to look everywhere else to know how dangerous they can be” do not reflect either the actual Australian or international reality.
It is hard to understand the rationale that enables people to attend hospitality venues where they are five times more likely to contract COVID than in a fitness or exercise facility; let alone a Yoga or Pilates studio.
In Victoria alone, since the last year’s long lockdown Fitness Australia member facilities have enjoyed more than 6.5 million visitations with no virus transmission.
In the Territory, there are approximately 37,000 check-ins to a gym or fitness facility each month, with no transmission recorded, ever. Even this week a Zumba class held in a pop-up tent at the Recreation Centre in Palmerston listed as an “exposure” site on Wednesday, has had no transmission reported.
In the unlikely event of a transmission, Fitness Australia member facilities have the ability to provide almost instantaneous contact tracing information to Heath officials; a capability that is replicated by very few hospitality venues.
In collaboration with various state Health departments, Fitness Australia has developed a series of COVID-Safe protocols that have enabled fitness and exercise facilities to safely operate under a scaled restriction model and we would welcome the opportunity to have similar discussions with Northern Territory Health officials.
Indoor exercise and physical activity is not high-risk but actually good for our long-term health with research showing maintaining an exercise program is critical to Australians physical and mental wellbeing.
Rather than negative stereotyping, I call on the NT Government to engage collaboratively and with common sense.
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