By Karen Bong
KUCHING, Aug 19: Gyms are allowed to operate in areas under Phase 3 of the National Recovery Plan (NRP) including Sibu, Bintulu and Miri, and will be subject to standard operating procedures (SOP) which will be issued for the sports and fitness sector.
State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) deputy chairman Datuk Ik Pahon Joyik confirmed that Sarawak, except for the Southern Zone, is currently in Phase 3 NRP where gyms can operate, provided that the necessary SOPs have been gazetted.
“The Ministry of Local Government and Housing (MLGH) is still holding a seminar to update the SOPs to enable the sports and fitness sector, including gyms, to safely reopen in Phase 3 of the NRP.
“We will also consolidate the information from all agencies and on Monday (Aug 23), we will meet up with the industry players including gym operators to go through the SOPs with them,” he told DayakDaily when contacted today.
Ik Pahon, who is also Deputy State Secretary, pointed out briefly that the SOPs outlined the requirement for fitness premises to be properly ventilated as part of the precautionary measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
Other basic requirements to observe include premises owners or operators being fully vaccinated with two-doses of the vaccines, patrons need to be vaccinated with at least one dose of the vaccines, limiting the number of patrons at any one time depending on the size of the premises and disinfecting equipment after every use.
While gyms are allowed to operate in Phase 3, note that fitness studios offering yoga, zumba and other related workout classes are still not permitted to resume their operations, considering that these premises are normally in enclosed and air-conditioned indoor spaces.
However, the green light has not been given for gyms and fitness studios to reopen in eight districts in Sarawak’s Southern Zone, which is still in Phase 2 of the NRP.
The districts include Kuching, Bau, Serian, Lundu, Tebedu, Samarahan, Asajaya and Simunjan.
Several other sectors and activities still under the negative list in Phase 3 of the NRP include massage centres, spa and reflexology, wellness, beauty salons, pedicure and manicure, night clubs, pubs, karaokes including family karaokes, live performances at hotel’s lounges, indoor and outdoor buskings, cinemas as well as theme parks and family amusement centres.
To ensure the sustainability of business operations, all sectors including the public are reminded to not be lax but to take pandemic safety measures and precautions seriously at all times, given that the dangerous and highly transmissible Covid-19 Delta variant has spread in the community and driven the surge in cases of late.
Members of the public are reminded to be alert and adhere to the SOPs including wearing face masks, keeping a distance from others, practicing a high standard of hygiene, limiting their time spent outdoors and most importantly, avoiding social activities and gatherings. — DayakDaily
