CAPE TOWN - As the country moved over to Lockdown level 2, a few industries have been given the green-light with fitness centres and facilities allowed to reopen but the with strict health and safety protocols and a reopening plan from the major fitness chain requiring approval from the government before resumption.
Virgin Active took to their website to announce their hopes to reopen this Monday, saying "We know you are ready to get active with us again and we are excited to welcome you back soon. We’re planning to open our doors on Monday, 24 August at 5am."
The company had been preparing for the reopening for quite some time now with the fitness chain announcing their health and safety protocols in preparation for the reopening in early June already using the experience gained from successful reopenings in various countries like Italy, Australia, UK and South Africa's neighbouring countries - Namibia and Botswana.
"As we stand today, the entire gym industry has not received the government protocols which it must follow and does not have permission from government to open. We are aware that some gym operators have opened despite this, however, Virgin Active’s responsibility is to put the law, and the safety of our members first."
Many changes have been made in efforts to maintain the health and safety for staff and members with a video on how things will look when members visit any of their facilities.
"At present, government has indicated a 50 person limit for gyms. We are optimising our classes and our large estate to ensure you can be active in our safe and inclusive environments without your experience being compromised. We will update you on all the upgrades and improvements to our member experience in the next few days. Thank you for your patience and we look forward to welcoming you back on Monday."
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