Under the Victorian Government’s COVID-19 roadmap, the facilities can’t re-open until step four which is scheduled for late November — although the government has said it could be willing to move the dates forward if the data on case numbers remained favourable.
But local facilities believe they have the systems in place to keep the community safe.
When gyms re-opened in June there were limits of 10 people per class and 20 people per zone.
Snap Fitness Echuca centre manager Thomas Bryans says these limits would be the perfect starting point.
“We need the doors to re-open for not just our staff but members as well,” he said.
“The previous restrictions worked well for us and didn’t hinder our business.
“If those were any tighter, there might be questions about whether it would be viable to open.
“Hopefully we are on the end of some good news as soon as possible.”
Anytime Fitness Echuca's centre manager Sharon Briscoe said she worried about businesses in the area.
“Everything worked really well for us when we were able to re-open earlier in the year,” she said.
“Our equipment was already compliant with all the restrictions, we only had to move some of the treadmills.
“As a club, we decided to freeze all of our memberships whereas some other gyms in town have had continued support.
“One thing I noticed when we were open was it provided so many people with an outlet when they were doing it tough.
“It’s important we re-open for people’s mental and physical wellbeing.”
Member for Murray Plains Peter Walsh said he was taking the concerns of local businesses straight to parliament.
“We all hope COVID-19 is finally on the run but its legacy of mental health issues remains an unknown, and the pressures still to come from the economic fallout, so getting people physically engaged would seem an irreplaceable option for the first weeks and months of ‘normality’,” Mr Walsh said.
At Monday’s daily briefing Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said the number of COVID-19 cases across the state would decide when the facilities could re-open their doors.
“But ... even with these low numbers and the great work we're doing, it is too early for us to open up,” he said.
“We need to take these steps, safe and steady — and if they are not steady, it will not be safe. If we rush this, it will not be safe and everything that has been given and done and sacrificed will not be worth much.
“What I am saying is that the formal position is clear: The numbers or the date. However, however — and if I was unclear, let me be clear — if circumstances change, if we find ourselves ahead of schedule — not for one day, but in a manifest sense — common sense always guides us.
“We will look at what sits behind the numbers and then we will have to make a judgement.
“It won't be an easy judgement. Has enough time passed for us to be confident that the numbers we are seeing are a true reflection of how much virus is out there?
“They are very difficult judgements to make.”
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