A Hatfield gym owner has said Boris Johnson's 'roadmap' to easing restrictions, including opening gyms, has given him a 'huge feeling of relief'.
Gyms will be able to reopen on April 12, but people will not be able to attend with people from other households and gym classes will not be able to run.
Jason Lombard, club director at Hatfield ènergie fitness, told this paper how he feels about the easing of gym restrictions.
He said: "With Boris Johnson’s announcement that gyms will reopen on April 12 along with other shops and businesses comes a huge feeling of relief. We are pleased that we now have a date to aim for.
"It was hard not knowing and always trying to second guess what might happen. There is a lot of work to do to both prepare our club and our awesome team before we can open the doors to our members again.
"Having this date means that we can ensure that we are ready to give our members the best welcome back and guarantee them a safe and healthy environment to train and to hit their health and wellness goals.
"Although we might have wanted to get back sooner we, like the majority of the fitness industry, believe that protecting the health and safety of both our team and our members is the most important thing. So waiting until the virus figures are reduced and more people are vaccinated against it is the right thing to do."
However Jason was a bit disappointed that they will not be able to begin gym classes at the same time, but understands the need for caution.
Group exercise classes will not restart until May 17 when restrictions start lifting for indoor gatherings.
He added: "We are certain that, once the statistics continue to prove that gyms are a safe environment and that incidents of COVID virus transmission are incredibly low because of all the measures that we take to ensure our members' safety, we will soon be allowed to get back to safe socially distanced classes."
Jason believes that the way people train may have changed forever, after a year of mainly working out from home - so they have developed a programme that caters for all their members needs both in and outside of the club.
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