FRUSTRATION continues around COVID-19 restrictions for Mount Gambier F45 gym owner Lisa Fyfe.
Fyfe said the last week or so has caused nothing but despair for her organisation and the many members who pre-COVID used the facility to train.
She said she would normally have around 45 members in each session, but now it is limited to an unworkable 10.
But the frustration comes from a recent state government announcement which suggested groups of 20 could train.
That was changed to 10 for businesses such as Fyfe’s as the days passed by.
Fyfe’s gym boasts a healthy 280m2 of floor space to train, which she said made it easy to obey a 4m2 physical distancing rule.
However, the changes make it an unsustainable proposition to reopen.
“The government announced the Stage 2 restrictions would come in on June 8th, then they changed it to June 5th, then they changed it to June 1st,” Fyfe said.
“With the Stage 2 restrictions, everything came out as 20 (people).
“We knew that would be tough, but we thought we could do it.
“We were scrambling around trying to get that going and we decided once they announced the 1st – the thought trying to communicate it to 300 members, you just can’t expect people or us to get ready in that time – we were going to run with the 5th.
“The new Roadmap to Opening diagram means normal gyms like Big Box gyms can open with 20 per room for individual training.
“If you are doing weight training or anything like that you can have 20 people in that room.
“Because we are solely a group fitness facility, we are only allowed a maximum of 10 in a class.
“We simply cannot open with that.”
Fyfe said staffing issues would not allow for that at the moment, with herself and only one other staff member qualifying for the Jobkeeper payments.
Once the changes were announced Fyfe said she planned to offer restricted membership so her members could come back and begin training on a limited basis, then hope restrictions were further eased in July.
But she said with the number reduced to 10 it just would not be feasible.
Fyfe said with the programs she runs and the space available, 20 people could walk in the door and effectively have 14 square metres per person to work in.
If they used equipment it could be cleaned and leave ample time to get that 20 people out the door and the next 20 in.
“I don’t want to put 40 people back in the class – I think that is a bit irresponsible,” Fyfe said.
“We just want that four square metre rule.”
Fyfe said the most frustrating aspect is the anomalies between different businesses and sports across the state.
“It fascinates me I can go to Bunnings, I can go to the shopping centre and do so many things where there are so many people,” she said.
“Our facilities are controlled, everyone has to check in, we know their name, we know their contact details from email to phone number.
“That is part of our regular system.
“Contact sport is coming back on the 25th of June, but we have no date of when we can have more people in our gym, where not one person has to come close to each other.
“It is crippling what is happening at the moment.”
Fyfe said she would voice her concerns through her member of parliament.
She said while her members were patient and understood the issues she faced, she feared their mental and physical health was suffering.
“I didn’t sleep (Tuesday night),” she said.
“We had a big step in the right direction, then it gets ripped out from under you again, then you are scrambling again to let your members know.
“We will just continue with the online stuff, but we know it is not the same – I took some of my equipment home and I think I have done three workouts.
“Our members are suffering, but we are doing the best we can.
“We are back in limbo now.
“To see contact training go back (Monday June 1) is an absolute stab in the heart.”
