As sports centers begin reopening in Italy, here are the safety guidelines you’ll need to follow while you exercise.
Gyms and swimming pools in most parts of Italy were allowed to reopen from May 25th, though some regions and municipalities have opted to keep them closed for longer.
According to guidelines developed by the Ministry of Sport with health officials and medical specialists, from now on visiting a gym will involve taking a number of precautions, including wearing a face mask and arriving dressed in your exercise clothes.
Here are the protocols the government has instructed sports centres to follow:
- Reduce the number of people allowed to enter at once, for example by requiring a reservation.
- Clean communal spaces and equipment after each use.
- Equip staff with face masks and gloves.
- Provide hand-washing facilities and sanitizer gel.
- Mark individual training stations and a clear one-way route around the facilities.
- Allocate designated bins for face masks and tissues.
- Limit access to locker rooms and showers to avoid crowding.
- Swimming pools must place deckchairs at least 1.5 metres apart.
Gyms may also take precautions such as measuring users’ temperature and logging when they attended for contact tracing purposes, while certain facilities such as saunas may remain closed off.
The government has also urged gyms to encourage “remote training” where possible, offering exercise classes and consultations online instead of in person.
While matches and competitions remain banned, sports teams are allowed to begin training together again.
Piscina Bianchi has reopened its doors to public today and is encouraging all visitors to follow the guidelines. Their hours are 9 am -2 pm and 3 pm- 9 pm.
By In Trieste
