Updated guidance for England – 10 Sep 2020

CIMSPA has been working closely with DCMS and Sport England to clarify the rules for sport and physical activity, and are pleased to confirmed the following:

Use of indoor gyms and leisure facilities

• People can continue to use leisure facilities, including gyms and pools.
• All indoor facilities should continue to follow the current Covid-secure guidance including 2m social distancing.

Group Exercise

• Personal training can continue indoors or outdoors in groups of up to six people (including the instructor) while following the existing guidance on hygiene and social distancing.
• Organised dance and exercise classes can take place in groups of up to 30 people, provided they are run by a suitably qualified instructor, with a risk assessment and compliance with COVID-19 Secure guidance (see 3.16 in here). You should limit social interaction between participants. See the guidance for “Organising outdoor sport and physical activity events”.
• Organised events of more than six people can take place indoors at a facility such as a gym, leisure centre or community hall, when following the guidance for use of indoor facilities. You cannot hold a session with more than six people within a private home.
  
• Organised events of more than six people can take place outdoors in any public place (with the owner’s permission). The law does allow for groups of more than six people to train outdoors in a private outdoor space such as a garden, when following the guidance. However, both CIMSPA and EMD UK recommend keeping to smaller groups within gardens wherever possible, to avoid unnecessary risk of transmission.
  
• For group classes, CIMSPA recommends a minimum 2m x 2m space for each participant for static classes, and a 3m x 3m space for classes involving movement, to maintain effective social distancing.

Organised sports and activities

• Organised sports and activities that have been through the Sport England Return to Play protocols can continue as before.

Insurance

• Appropriate insurance policies should be in place for all activities.

Sport and physical activity education courses

• The above guidance also applies to the delivery of sport and physical activity education courses and training.

Travelling for sport and physical activity

• You shouldn’t travel with someone from outside your household unless you can practise social distancing - for example by cycling. It is not possible to practice effective social distancing in small vehicles.
• To help keep yourself and your fellow passengers safe, you should not travel if you: are experiencing any coronavirus symptoms, are self-isolating as a result of coronavirus symptoms or as a result of being in contact of a confirmed case of Covid-19, or sharing a household with somebody with symptoms, or are clinically extremely vulnerable.
• If you have been asked to isolate by NHS Test and Trace because you are a contact of a known Covid-19 case, do not exercise outside your own home or garden and do not exercise with others; you can spread the virus to others even if you never get symptoms.

Local restrictions
If you are in an area currently under a local restrictions, please follow the Government advice and refer to your local authority if you have any questions.

CIMSPA has a number of resources available to support and guide the sector through the Covid-19 crisis, including:

• ReTrain - £1.5m of free training for employers in England, funded by Sport England.
• ReActivate - free online Covid Awareness Training for anyone working or volunteering in the sport, fitness, leisure and physical activity sector in England.
• ReOpen - an online hub offering guidance and resources to support the sector in reopening facilities, when permitted.
• Stronger Together Hub - a range of resources and advice to support businesses and individuals.
• Stronger Together Facebook Group - an open community for all those working in the sector.