Andrew Smith and Laura Morrison are the owners of LIFT Gyms in Gorgie, an independent business which they only set up 18 months ago and which has been closed for the last four.
Covid-19 could not have come at a worse time for them.
The business owners feel very much that they have been left in the lurch by The Scottish Government and that the evidence shows no reason why they should not reopen their doors to their 820 members. They have made all sorts of changes to the premises which they refurbished only two years ago to allow their members and staff to be safe and secure in the post-covid environment.
They wrote to the First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, last week asking her to pay them a visit to see for herself what they had done. They also asked her to reconsider the government’s position on reopening gyms which they believe do not pose any additional risk to those using them. Some of their difficulty, in the same way as many other businesses, is purely financial as their application for finance under the Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS) took 25 days to process.
They wrote to Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, but there has been no reply to any of their letters.
Andrew Smith said: “Realistically, our main frustrations don’t lie with how well The Scottish Government have suppressed the virus in the community. And they don’t lie with the fact that The Scottish Government is prioritising young children’s education because they’ve been out of school for so long they need to be with friends, we understand that.
“Our frustrations lie in a few key areas. Number one, we have an issue with the continued persistence of The Scottish Government to use outdated information and inaccurate information to inform their policy.
“I’ve seen a letter which was a formal reply from the Health Minister to another gym owner. In that she listed their two main concerns behind not reopening gyms as firstly poorly ventilated changing rooms and secondly that they are still worried that the transmission of Covid-19 in a gym would come from perspiration.
“The first is a sweeping assumption of an entire sector, which just is not true for the vast majority of places. And even if it was the case, the extremely simple fix is not to open changing rooms.They would just used for toilets, which is exactly what we planned in our information document for members that we’ve had ready for months.
“The second is just not true. I’ve looked at official guidance from the UK Government website, which specifically states that initial research has identified the presence of Covid-19 virus in stools and conjunctival secretions in all confirmed cases. So that means that all secretions except sweat should be regarded as potentially infectious. So our official government advice which is obviously taken from the World Health Organisation’s studies into this disease explicitly state that sweat is not contagious. So The Scottish Government must have some knowledge that nobody else in the world has, since the Health Minister still believes that it can be transmitted in sweat.
“In any case we have antiviral antibacterial wipes at every single station in our gym. And so every piece of kit will be wiped down by an antiviral wipe after every single usage. All of our members will sign updated terms and conditions to say they will adhere to our new Covid-19 regulations which include this obligation. Our staff will also do half hour walk rounds and we are also getting the premises fogged the day before they reopen, whenever that is.”
And that is the point. Nobody knows when gyms will reopen. They were supposed to be included in Phase 3 but no date has yet been announced.
The company consulted local MP, Joanna Cherry, who told The Edinburgh Reporter: “”This is a very difficult time for business like Mr Smith’s. Larger firms like these should have been able to call on the UK Government’s Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) but sadly firms across Edinburgh have been denied this important finance from their banks. I am continuing to work with the all party group on Fair Business Banking to help these firms get the support they need.”
Andrew continued: “Our biggest frustration is the lack of equality between sectors. Now I fully understand and sympathise with every other small business owner out there because that’s what we are. However every sector is either now open – for example the shops or they have a specific targeted funding package like the £1.57 billion for theatres, museums etc. Or they are open with a funding package to support them, like pubs and restaurants who are open with VAT reductions, the Eat Out to Help Out vouchers. A fitness centre in Scotland has no opening date, and it has no funding package. It’s just been completely forgotten.”
Most recently the First Minister said in parliament: “Unfortunately, there are other activities that are included in phase 3 of the route map that we are not yet able to attach a firm and specific date to. However, although we will keep these under review and, as we have done with communal worship, will bring dates forward wherever possible, it should be assumed at this stage that those further activities will not restart before 31 July. Those activities include the reopening of non-essential offices and call centres, the resumption of outdoor live events and the reopening of indoor entertainment venues such as theatres, music venues and bingo halls. They also include the opening of indoor gyms and the resumption of non-professional adult outdoor contact sports.
“We will continue to work closely with relevant sectors on the reopening of all those activities as soon as possible. For example, we will work with the outdoor events sector to review the range of events that could take place, as we recognise that a one-size-fits-all approach might not be appropriate. However, I hope that it will be appreciated—as difficult as it is—that a number of those activities present particular challenges. Although I know that it is difficult, it will take a bit more time to work through how those can be safely addressed.
“I also want to indicate that our current expectation is that phase 3 may well last longer than three weeks. Given the scale of the changes that we are making in phase 3, it might be wise not to rush them or go into phase 4 too quickly. However, we will keep that under close review.”
We are informed by the Scottish Government that the First Minister is due to make a statement to parliament next Thursday
Although pubs, restaurants and even beauty salons have now reopened, the government has not yet fired the starting gun for indoor gyms.
On Wednesday 22 July the First Minister said that it was the government’s focus to keep the virus at a low enough level to enable schools to fully and safely reopen on 11 August.Ms Sturgeon said at the Media Briefing: “
So for those businesses who are still waiting for a date to restart, I thank you for your ongoing patience. I fully understand how difficult any further delay is for you, but I also hope you will understand why we need to prioritise re-opening schools.
“I also want to underline that we are making changes at a pace and at a level that we think is right and safe for our current circumstances here in Scotland.”
Gym owner, Laura Morrison, said: “I’m very conflicted because I’ve got two young daughters who have obviously been off school since April and they’re just desperate to get back to school. But as a business owner, our future rests on this. We also need to get our gym open as well.”
Andrew and Laura explained that LIFT Gyms works on a different model from others. They provide the best equipment and their staff are trained to the highest standards. They also say that they want their members to actually turn up unlike others where they are happy to take the money without the attendance. They say they have a much higher usage rate than other gyms and that it’s no coincidence that their members are actually healthier and reach their goals as a result with improvements to their mental health and their physical health.
During lockdown they have created an app which 650 members have signed up to. This offers everyone a bespoke training guide and free workouts to do at home either with or without equipment. They have also been running free live classes each week and Q & A sessions on social media. Everything is free for anyone who downloads the app, not just their members.
Andrew concluded: “It’s the lack of evidence, the lack of honesty, and the lack of equality which are our three main points, I think.”
Huw Edwards, CEO of industry body ukactive, said: “The continued delay to reopen gyms and leisure centres in Scotland is damaging the sector and threatening its future.
“This delay also risks weakening Scotland’s recovery from COVID-19 by undermining a sector that can have a positive effect on fighting this virus.
“The Scottish Government must continue to work with the sector to set a clear path forward for reopening, providing the necessary clarity.
“Crucially, it should take up the offer to visit facilities and see first-hand the mitigating measures that are being put in place to manage social distancing and cleanliness, after similar visits were conducted successfully in England.
“The sector must be supported to prevent facility closures, significant job losses, and strengthen the health of people across Scotland.”
Professor Adam Tomkins is Conservative MSP for Glasgow and he tweeted his support for Ricky Long’s petition to reopen Scottish gyms which had around 6,500 signatures when we last looked.
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
