Statement from David Lloyd Leisure regarding the planned closure of gym and health clubs in Liverpool

Following the UK Government’s announcement last night regarding Tier 3 measures, Glenn Earlam, CEO of David Lloyd Leisure comments on Liverpool City Council’s decision to close gyms and leisure centres:

“We are astounded by Liverpool City Council’s decision to close gyms and leisure centres, whilst still allowing restaurants to remain open. The BBC has reported that restaurants are one of the highest settings for Covid exposure at nearly 10%, along with shopping centres at 3.4% both of which remain open, compared with just 1.4% in gyms, so this decision defies all logic. In addition, SAGE advised the Government that the closure of gyms would have ‘low to medium impact’ on the spread but would risk harming people’s mental and physical health.

Indeed, since our clubs reopened on 25 July we have had just eight cases from over 130,000 member visits in our two clubs in the area at Knowsley and Speke with, most critically, not a single known in-club transmission case.

As winter approaches, health and fitness is more important than ever. Gyms and indoor leisure facilities of course play a vital part in supporting year-round physical fitness, and exercise has proven to strengthen the immune system, protecting people from Covid-19 and illnesses generally.

Mental health has clearly taken its toll on many people in recent months, and gyms and leisure centres play a crucial role in supporting mental wellbeing. This announcement comes just days after World Mental Health Day, which makes this decision even more baffling. 

We take our responsibilities very seriously and the safety of both our members and team is always our number one priority.  We’ve been working very closely with the local EHOs to ensure the Government protocols have been strictly adhered to. Because our clubs are so spacious we’ve been able to redesign the layout to provide additional workout spaces, allowing fewer people in our gyms. We’ve introduced social distancing and rigorous cleaning processes throughout, and because all our members swipe in on entry we are able to easily provide ‘Test and Trace’ information to the local health authorities.

These measures together far exceed Government recommendations, making our clubs and gyms safe and healthy places to visit. We call on both the Liverpool City Council and the UK Government to urgently reconsider their decision and keep our gyms and health facilities open during this time when the British public need them more than ever.”

*Source: BBC  https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-54477618

 Please sign the petition here to prevent gyms closing: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/333869