‘Can’t wait to curl for the girlsss’: Britons welcome the return of gyms and nail salons after four months with hilarious memes as owners including Duncan Bannatyne praise ‘vitally important’ news
- Britons with bulging stomach lines rejoiced at news that gyms are reopening
- Gym-goers took to Twitter to express excitement by sharing hilarious memes
- Female social media users enthused at news nail salons can reopen next week
Locked-down Britons with bulging stomach lines have been sharing hilarious memes as excitement for the reopening of indoor gyms this month mounts.
After months of ‘letting themselves go’ during the coronavirus pandemic, fitness lovers were given a welcome boost yesterday when Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden told them indoor gyms could reopen on July 25.
Gym-goers quickly flocked to Twitter to express their excitement at getting back to lifting weights and using the treadmill again by sharing memes.
Female social media users also enthused at news that nail salons can reopen next week, with many relieved they won’t have to do their own nails for a while.
Other Britons were more than nervous about shifting the extra pounds piled on by being stuck indoors for nearly four months during lockdown.
The move to reopen indoor gyms was welcomed by Dragon’s Den star Duncan Bannatyne, the owner of health club and spa firm Bannatyne Group.
He said he was ‘incredibly pleased’ his 57 clubs in England could reopen and called the fitness sector ‘vitally important, both for the nation’s health and the economy’.
Locked-down Britons with bulging stomach lines have been sharing hilarious memes as excitement for the reopening of indoor gyms this month mounts
The move to reopen indoor gyms was welcomed by Dragon’s Den star Duncan Bannatyne, the owner of health club and spa firm Bannatyne Group
Gym, spa and salon owners cheered the Government’s latest rollback on current lockdown restrictions to allow them to reopen sites (stock photo)
Gym, spa and salon owners cheered the Government’s latest rollback on current lockdown restrictions to allow them to reopen sites.
Mr Bannatyne said: ‘I am incredibly pleased that we have a definite date for reopening our 57 health clubs in England.
‘The fitness sector is vitally important, both for the nation’s health and the economy.
‘In my discussions with ministers over the last week or so, I was gratified that they understood that the majority of health clubs could reopen safely and that it was essential to do so.’
The Feel Good Group, which runs 90 tanning salons across the UK, welcomed the Government’s decision to allow its shops to reopen on July 13, but said they should be able to reopen immediately.
Adam Mooney, founder and chief executive, said: ‘While we welcome the decision to finally allow us to reopen, the Government could have allowed us to open last week, when hairdressers reopened.
‘We are ready to reopen today, not next week.
‘More than 90% of our staff are women, and most in the 18 to 25-year-old age group, which is the demographic which has been worst hit financially by the pandemic, and they are very keen to get back to work.’
Oliver Dowden yesterday announced gyms in England will be allowed to reopen from July 25
Female social media users also enthused at news that nail salons can reopen next week, with many relieved they won’t have to do their own nails for a while
Richard Darwin, chief executive of The Gym Group – which runs 179 gyms in the UK – said he was ‘delighted’ by the announcement.
But the Group, one of Britain’s biggest fitness chains, revealed it had lost around a fifth of its members during lockdown – even though it froze their payments.
The Gym Group said that 178,000 people had cancelled their memberships with one of its 179 gyms, which are mainly across England.
Before lockdown, on March 18, the company had 870,000 members. This had dropped to 692,000 on Thursday, at an average age of 32.
Direct debit repayments will now restart, but members can request to have their membership frozen for longer.
‘We are in the process of un-furloughing our colleagues, who will be ready to open the doors of our gyms in England on July 25 and in the other home nations once restrictions are lifted,’ Mr Darwin said.
‘We are encouraged by the response of our members, the vast majority of whom are keen to get back to the gym to begin working out again.
‘We look forward to welcoming them back and being able to continue providing affordable fitness for all.’
Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said yesterday that people will ‘no longer have to work out in their park or on their living room floor’ (stock photo)
Nail bars, beauticians and spas will be allowed to welcome back customers from Monday
Gym-goers quickly flocked to Twitter to express their excitement at getting back to lifting weights and using the treadmill again by sharing memes
According to its own research, 92 per cent of members are keen to get back to exercising at one of the The Gym Group’s 160 sites in England, 13 in Scotland and three in Wales which are all set to reopen from July 25.
Two in Leicester and one that is being refurbished on London’s Oxford Street will remain shut for now.
The normally round-the-clock gyms will initially open from 6am to 10pm on weekdays and from 8am to 8pm on weekends.
Staff will get their temperature checked at the start of their shifts, and the number of the people in each gym will be restricted to one per 100 square feet.
The company will also launch an app where customers can monitor how busy the gym is, and check historical trends to spot patterns of when it might be safe to go.
‘Opening safely is our primary concern and we have comprehensive plans in place for both our colleagues and members as we re-open our gyms,’ Mr Darwin said.
‘We are pleased to have been able to work with Government and the rest of the health and fitness sector on how best to operate in a Covid-secure way.
‘Together with the Government we recognise the significant benefits of exercise in improving the nation’s physical and mental well-being, particularly at this time as we respond to the pandemic.’
Nail bars and beauty salons: What treatments are beauticians allowed to give – and how can I book?
Beauticians are only allowed to provide services that are not directly in front of the face, which the government has warned is the ‘highest risk zone’.
This means the below treatments are not allowed:
- Face waxing, sugaring or threading
- Facial treatments
- Advanced facial technical
- Eyelash treatments
- Make-up application
- Dermarolling
- Dermaplaning
- Microblading
- Electrolysis on the face
- Eyebrow treatments
Staff are advised to avoid skin to skin contact and wear gloves where possible, with nail bars and tanning salons able to make an exception
When it is not possible to keep a two-metre distance, beauticians are advised to wear PPE that covers the face or use a screen.
Beauty salons will operate an appointment-only booking system to limit their capacity and will keep the time taken for the treatment at a minimum.
Hand washing and surface cleaning will also be done regularly, alongside cleaning disposable equipment when possible.
Staff are advised to avoid skin to skin contact and wear gloves where possible, with nail bars and tanning salons able to make an exception.
Customer chairs will be spaced out and, other than water, no food or drink will be provided.
If staff work closely to each other, then it is recommended there are a limited or fixed amount of workers.
Source: Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy
After months of ‘letting themselves go’ during the pandemic, fitness lovers were given a welcome boost yesterday when Oliver Dowden told them indoor gyms could reopen on July 25
Yesterday Oliver Dowden said tanning salons, tattoo parlours and other so-called ‘close contact services’ will be allowed to welcome back customers from Monday – allowing Britons to get a much-needed makeover or a fake tan top-up for the first time in almost four months.
However those desperate for a face waxing, eyelash treatments, make-up application or a facial treatment will have to wait a little longer, as they will not yet be allowed.
Meanwhile, businesses will be expected to keep records of staff and customers and share these with NHS Test and Trace where requested
Speaking at a Downing Street press conference, Mr Dowden said outdoor swimming pools can reopen on Saturday as he also published guidance to enable competitive grassroots team sports to resume, beginning with cricket this weekend.
Outdoor arts performances – including theatres, opera, dance and music – will also be able to resume from Saturday although audience numbers will be restricted and will be subject to social distancing rules.
A pilot programme will be launched to figure out how to return to socially distanced indoor performances ‘as soon as possible’, Mr Dowden said.
Planning rules will be changed so that theatres, concert halls and live music venues will be protected from demolition, stopping those that have been made temporarily vacant during lockdown from disappearing altogether.
Mr Dowden said ‘normal life is slowly returning’, telling the press conference: ‘Having allowed hairdressers to reopen, beauticians, tattooists, spas, tanning salons and other close contact services can now do the same, I’m pleased to say, from Monday.
‘Of course that will be subject to some restrictions on particularly high-risk services.’
Some people were more than nervous about shifting the extra pounds piled on by Brits stuck indoors for nearly four months during lockdown
Gyms to return on July 25 with a limited capacity, hand sanitiser stations and booking system
Indoor sport and leisure facilities will open in England towards the end of this month, namely including:
- Gyms
- Fitness and dance studios
- Sports venues and facilities
- Swimming pools
- Hot tubs
- Hydrotherapy pools
- Whirlpools
- Jacuzzis
A hand sanitiser station inside the Gym Group in Vauxhall, London, alongside a sign reminding to have a ‘quick squirt’ when arriving and leaving the premises
To reduce the risk of transmitting the virus, a number of measures will be introduced such as hand sanitiser stations and contactless payment.
Guidance will be given to customers through signage in entrances, on booking forms and websites.
Fixing doors, left open where possible, will be fitted to increase ventilation.
Reducing the need to touch other objects, such as lockers, trunks and drawers, is advised, with equipment to be made ‘readily accessible’.
The avoidance of paperwork is also recommended through online platforms and enabling a booking system, to manage demand.
Sports and leisure facilities are also advised to work on a book-in-advance basis, preferably online or over the phone.
Source: Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy
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