The Malaysian Insight

A GROUP representing health and fitness centres and gyms has submitted standard operating procedure (SOP) proposals to Putrajaya in a bid to reopen businesses affected by the Covid-19 pandemic as soon as possible.

The group has contacted officials from the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (Miti) and the Ministry of Youth and Sports on guidelines for reopening, to ensure the safety of their businesses and clients.

The proposals were sent to the ministries before the Hari Raya holidays. The group is now waiting for a positive response.

One group was the Malaysia Mixed Martial Arts Association (MASMMAA), which represented MMA gym operators closed since the movement control order (MCO) was imposed on March 18.

“We have just conducted a virtual townhall to obtain feedback from our MMA community members on a proposed SOP,” said MASMMAA secretary Brent Yap

“The SOP as it stands would lay the foundation for a more inclusive and extensive version, which we hope to convert into a working paper to present to the Malaysian government for consideration.”

The working paper is expected to be finalised next month, he added.

The country is currently under conditional the conditional MCO, which began on May 4 and will end on June 9.

However, Putrajaya may extend the order if the number of new Covid-19 infections keeps increasing.

Yesterday, the number of infections stood at 7,604, while the number of fatalities was 115.

“Of course, all gym owners want to open as soon as possible,” said Jennifer See, who runs the Fitness Factory outlet in Kuala Lumpur.

“We are waiting for a reply from the government. We will set the SOP according to the standards set and modify accordingly (to government requirements).

Though businesses have sought to resume operations, some have gone online, such as yoga schools, where each participating client only needs a mat, a laptop and internet connection.

However, complicating matters are gym clients needing to handle weights and mixed-martial artists, who need regular sparring sessions.

“Putrajaya would need to decide on what the protocols would be,” said Jerrican Tan, who runs FITM, a fitness professional development and training centre in Petaling Jaya.

Tan noted the varying rules in the region, such as in Thailand, where gyms are required to wipe down weights with disinfectants after being used, while members have to wear face masks.

In comparison, no such rules are required in Vietnam, which has recorded no Covid-19 deaths.

“Group exercises are going to be affected. Definitely, the capacity will be affected. The operations of the business centres would have to limit the maximum number of people,” he said, adding that personal trainers would have to be careful not to touch clients.

Due to the lower volume of people allowed in the premises, operators may need to extend operating hours into the night to attract a regular number of customers.

“Then they’d have to pay for the staff to work at night. Then there’s the cost of disinfecting the premises. All these changes are going to affect operations costs and revenue of fitness centres.

“I know many operators want to reopen, but I think they have to take into consideration whether it is financially feasible,” said Tan. – May 27, 2020.