Keeping our members safe has always been our top priority here at Everyone Active. Even before the coronavirus pandemic took hold, we took every precaution about the cleanliness and safety of our equipment to ensure that both you – our valued members – and our colleagues could enjoy our facilities safely.
Now, however, we are taking that responsibility even more seriously. Whenever new Government guidance is published, our dedicated team studies it thoroughly and implements everything relevant across our 200+ centres nationwide.
As a result of the most recent set of guidance brought out by the Government, we’ve put together a brief guide to exactly what measures we are taking in-centre to help keep you and our colleagues safe during these uncertain times.
What General Measures are we Taking to help Keep you Safe?
Here at Everyone Active, we are implementing an array of measures across our estate to help keep you safe while you enjoy our facilities.
Extra Cleaning
All our centres are now cleaned even more thoroughly and even more regularly than ever before. Before and after every gym session, every pool session, every group fitness class and every sports or activity session, all equipment is thoroughly cleaned by highly-trained colleagues. This will help stop the spread of the virus throughout the day. Each centre is also given a deep clean on a more regular basis too, ensuring everywhere is as clean as possible.
Earlier Closing Times in Some Centres
In line with the most recent measures from the Government, some of our centres will be closing earlier than usual. Centres must now be shut by 10pm sharp, which means final gym, group fitness, swimming and activity sessions finishing in advance of that.
Hand Sanitiser Available Throughout our Centres
Hand sanitiser is available for everyone throughout our centres. There are a number of dispensers located all over our centres at various convenient points to help ensure you can easily keep your hands clean at all times while you’re with us.
Clear Signage Displayed to help you Understand Health & Safety Protocols
Sometimes the guidance can be a little confusing. That’s why we have clear signage at all our centres explaining all requirements of both members and colleagues to help keep everyone safe.
One way Systems Where Possible
Wherever possible, our centres have a one-way system in place to help ensure everyone visiting our centres can adhere to social distancing protocols as much as humanly possible.
Sneeze Guards at Reception and Other Member-Colleague Interaction Points
We’ve done our utmost to reduce the amount you’ll need to interact with our staff. Most activities are now bookable online or via the app.
More Online Booking Availability
As mentioned above, almost all the activities you’ll find at our centres are bookable either via the website or on our app. This will help minimise face-to-face interaction with our staff, helping to maintain social distance wherever possible.
Greater Training for Staff
All staff have been given extensive training on how to remain Coved-secure. This includes training on how to keep equipment clean, how to deep-clean the centres and how to maintain social distance.
Staggered Start Times for Exercise Classes, Sports, Activities & gym Sessions
This gives us the opportunity to ensure that the previous occupants are out before the people that have booked the next session come in, but it also allows us to give the equipment a good clean in-between sessions.
NHS Track & Trace QR Codes Available for Scanning
All our centres are legally obliged to have NHS Track & Trace QR Codes available to scan when you enter. While you do not have to scan the barcodes when you visit us, we do strongly advise you to do so as a way of helping us to help keep you safe while you’re with us. This allows us to provide your details to the NHS if it turns out you have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for coronavirus. If you’d like to know more, check out our FAQs.
What Measures are we Taking in our Gyms & Group Fitness Classes to help Keep you Safe?
More Cleaning Equipment in the Gyms
We’re now asking our members to be even more stringent when it comes to wiping down the gym equipment after they’ve finished using it. To help you achieve this, we’re putting out even more paper towels and cleaning fluid to make it easier for you to clean the equipment once you’ve finished using it.
Bookable Time Slots for the Gym
Rather than just turning up when you feel like it, we’ve now introduced bookable time slots. This means there are only a limited number of people allowed in the gym at any one time. This makes it easier for you to socially distance from your fellow gym users.
Smaller Class Sizes
Each group fitness class now has a lower maximum occupancy. This allows us to ensure that participants remain socially distanced while they’re taking part.
Maximise air Circulation in gyms
Both through opening more windows and using air-conditioning, we’re increasing air-flow throughout our gyms to help reduce the chance of the infection spreading among our members and colleagues.
More Space Between gym Equipment
We’ve now moved all our gym equipment at least 2m apart from one another. In some centres, this has required the removal of a significant amount of equipment, while in others, the gym kit has been moved to the sports hall in order to allow for more space between the equipment.
More Frequent Cleaning of Gym Equipment by Trained Colleagues
Gyms now get ‘fogged at least once, if not twice a day by specially-trained colleagues to help decontaminate the gym area.
Personal Trainers Operating Using Social Distancing Measures
Personal trainers are still operating within our gyms but now work purely on a socially-distanced basis.
Time Allowed between Group Fitness Classes to allow for Cleaning
As with gym sessions, there is a gap between all group fitness classes to allow the previous incumbents to leave and the room to be cleaned before the next session starts.
No-Longer use Shared Equipment
Wherever possible, in both the gym and group fitness classes, shared equipment is no-longer available. In the gym, this means equipment such as ViPRs, power bags and medicine balls, while in group fitness classes, we ask you to bring your own exercise mats etc. For both you’ll need to bring your own sweat towel.
What Measures are we Taking in our Pools to help Keep you Safe?
Pools Only used for a Single Activity at a Time
Our pools are now only used for a single activity at a time now. For instance, the pool will either be open for lessons, family swimming or lane swimming, but never a combination of these three at any one time.
Fewer Lessons in Each Pool at any one Time
We’ve also cut down the number of lessons that will be going on in each pool at any particular point. This will help you to observe social distancing measures more easily.
Staggered Start Times for Separate Sessions
Once again, staggered start times for separate sessions allow us to get everyone out before the next session begins. Meanwhile, it also gives us the opportunity to clean the equipment.
Only one Parent per Child Allowed to Attend
To help with social distancing guidelines, we have now implemented the rule that only one parent per child can attend swimming lessons.
Swimmers Should Arrive Ready to Swim Where Possible
Wherever possible, swimmers should arrive as ready to swim as much as they can.
Swim Teachers will teach from the Poolside & Maintain Social Distance
Once more, in order to maintain social distancing, swim teachers will be teaching from the poolside, rather than from the pool itself.
Fewer People Allowed in the Pool at any one Time
Whether you’re in a swim lesson, pounding the lanes or just having some fun in the water, we’ve had to put restrictions on the number of people allowed in each pool. This means you’ll be able to maintain social distancing while still in the water. The exact number of people allowed in each pool depends on the size of the pool
Shorter, Bookable Lane and Public/Family Swimming Sessions
Just like gym and group fitness classes, we’ve made lane swimming, public and family swimming sessions bookable via the website and the app. This will allow us to know when each session is full.
Double Width Lanes for Lane Swimming Sessions
Again, in order to help with social distancing, we’ve’ made the swimming lanes twice as wide.
Specific Areas to Rest in During Lane Swimming Sessions
If you need a break while lane swimming, make sure you’re right over to the side and at one of the ends. If you think you need a slightly longer break to catch your breath, there are designated areas at each poolside where you can do so.
What Measures are we Implementing for Sports & Activities to help Keep you Safe?
Smaller Maximum Session Sizes
For each activity, we are introducing smaller maximum session sizes to help encourage social distancing.
All Sessions are now Bookable Online
Once again, in order to avoid any unnecessary interaction with our staff, all activity sessions are now bookable online and on the app.
All Equipment Cleaned/Quarantined After use
As with everything else, all the equipment used for any activity is immediate and thoroughly cleaned after use.
Coaches and Instructors are Fully Trained on any new Guidelines
Whenever any new guidance is published, we make sure our staff are fully trained in how to implement that guidance, whatever it may be.
We Follow Each Sport’s Governing Body’s Guidance
Here at Everyone Active, we offer a wide range of sports for you to enjoy. From Squash to pickleball, from cricket to climbing and pretty much everything in-between. Therefore, we work closely with the UK governing bodies of each and every one of these sports to make sure that we follow their guidance when it comes to being covid-secure. Everything we do is about ensuring you’re safe and having fun at our centres.
You can find out more about what measures we’re taking for specific sports on our reopening measures page. Meanwhile, there’s also plenty of information on our FAQ page.