May 25 marked the reopening of swimming pools, gyms and fitness clubs in several European countries. In Italy, these establishments remain little frequented, according to a report by franceinfo.
- Swimming pools and gyms have reopened since May 25 in Germany, Spain and Italy
- In Italy, where the Covid-19 epidemic has killed nearly 34,000 people, the public is slow to return to these establishments
Europe is gradually deconfining. On May 25, swimming pools, gyms and fitness clubs in Germany, Spain and Italy reopened. In the latter country, some 8,000 establishments are concerned, according to the National Institute of Statistics (Istat)as reported Point echoing AFP. If the shops, bars and restaurants had already resumed their activity the previous week as part of phase 2 of the deconfinement, the places dedicated to physical practice remain little busy.
Rigorously applied barrier gestures
In a report from Rome, franceinfo met with several gym owners. A minimum of two meters distance between each client in order to be able to come without a mask, taking their temperature before the start of training, putting on overshoes on their sneakers, distributing hydroalcoholic gel… Everything is in place to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
“We have decided to only bring customers in by appointment.says Catarina, an employee in a gym in the heart of the Italian capital, interviewed by our colleagues. They will be a maximum of four to five to train in the same room. We have developed an application which will be live in two to three days and which will allow customers to easily book their own course from home.”.
“Only 25% to 30% of customers return”
If Luigi, the owner of the establishment, has chosen to reduce the number of entries, it is to ensure everyone’s safety. But, in reality, he is aware that very few customers intend to tread the floor of the room again. “Normally March, April and May is the high season for gyms, people get back in shape before the summer. But unfortunately at the moment there is still a lot of fear and then it is already hot so only 25% to 30% of customers return”he laments to franceinfo.
As a reminder, the Covid-19 epidemic was particularly virulent in Italy. The first source of contamination in Europe, the country implemented very strict confinement from March 9, gradually lifted from May 4. Since the start of the health crisis, 32,877 people have died from the virus in Italy, according to figures from Johns Hopkins University.
