Coronavirus: Continue exercising, but only with members of the same household, advises SportSG

by Circle Stories, on April 5, 2020

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This includes personal training sessions that take place indoors or outdoors as well as social games.PHOTO: ST FILE

All sports and physical activities involving groups - regardless of nature, size or location - are to cease, except for those involving people who live under the same roof.

This includes personal training sessions that take place indoors or outdoors as well as social games, said national sports agency Sport Singapore (SportSG) in an advisory on Sunday (April 5). The new guideline covers the period from Tuesday (April 7) to May 4.

"There should be no mixing between households, and this means that private coaches must not be physically present with clients to run individual or group programmes at home or outdoors except through online channels," it said. This includes one-on-one private coaching sessions, "as well as outdoor group physical activities (such as bootcamp-style training, circuit training, group running/cycling, group yoga, as well as gatherings involving workouts, exercises and physical activity of any nature)".

The move follows the tightening of safe distancing measures by the Government, which were announced by the multi-ministry task force on Friday (April 3). These include closing all public sports and recreational facilities, including ActiveSG Sport Centres, studios, gyms, indoor sport halls, swimming complexes, Active Health Labs, as well as The Float and The Rink?@?JCube.

In its April 5 advisory, SportSG also made it clear that the directive to close sports and recreational facilities includes those operated by private apartments and condominiums, country clubs, golf clubs, businesses, and national sports associations.

All the public-shared sport facilities in schools under the Dual Use Scheme - which are popular among social footballers who use them for their weekend kickabouts - are added to the list too.

The only sports facilities whose doors will remain open are 15 open-air ActiveSG stadiums, including Bedok, Home of Athletics at Kallang, Jurong West and Yishun. However, "coaching, training and group activities are forbidden within these facilities" and "gatherings in groups in these spaces must be avoided".

It also issued the following guidelines for exercising outdoors:

- Exercise on your own or only with members of your own household.

- Exercise around your immediate neighbourhood in open, uncrowded places. Safe distancing measures must be observed at all times.

- Return to your homes promptly after exercising and do not linger.

As for exercising indoors, SportSG directed the public to online resources that offer access to virtual classes and tips on how to stay active at home, such as the ActiveSG Facebook page.

Tenants at ActiveSG Sport Centres offering essential services such as food and beverage outlets and pharmacies will remain open to the public, with F&B outlets offering only takeaway services.

Those with queries can e-mail SPORT_QSM?@?sport.gov.sg or call 1800-344-1177 from Mondays to Fridays, 9am to 6pm.

Source: The Straits Times � Singapore Press Holdings Limited. Permission required for reproduction

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