The majority of the United Kingdom is currently in Lockdown, so here’s a consolidated update on what that means for England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
England – Lockdown:
(From January 4th 2021)
- Indoor gyms, swimming pools, leisure centres and studios must close.
- Outdoor exercise/PT can continue on a 1:1 basis, assuming Covid-secure guidance in a public space.
- PT cannot take place in a home gym, studio, private house or garden.
- Outdoor sports facilities must close.
- Outdoor exercise for participants is limited to once per day, and individuals should not travel out of their local area.
- Organised indoor group exercise cannot take place.
Northern Ireland Tier 4:
(From 26th December 2020)
- Gyms, swimming pools and indoor sport and exercise facilities must close.
- Outdoor exercise is restricted to members of same household.
Scotland – Lockdown (Enhanced Tier 4):
(From 5th January 2021)
- Indoor sports facilities, including gyms, must close.
- A maximum two people from two households can meet outdoors to exercise while maintaining social distancing. So PT can continue on a 1:1 basis, assuming Covid-secure guidance in a public space.
- Outdoor gyms can remain open.
- Outdoor non-contact sports are permitted for all age groups.
- There is no restriction on how many times you are allowed out to exercise each day.
Wales Tier 4:
(From 19th December 2020)
- Indoor sports facilities, including gyms, must close.
- Organised outdoor and indoor sporting activity is not permitted.
- Individual outdoor activity (from home) alone or with members of your household is permitted.
- There is no limit to the amount of outdoor exercise an individual can undertake, but all activity must take place locally.
Other commonly asked questions
Can I work with more than one personal training client 1:1 in a public outdoor space per day?
- England & Scotland: Yes, PTs can work on a 1:1 basis with more than one client per day in a public outdoor space providing that each session does not overlap.
- Wales & Northern Ireland: N/A.
What is a public outdoor space?
- England: Public outdoor spaces include parks, beaches, countryside accessible to the public, forests, public gardens (whether or not you pay to enter them), the grounds of a heritage site, playgrounds.
What counts as ‘local’?
- England: If you need to travel you should stay local – meaning avoiding travelling outside of your village, town or the part of a city where you live – and look to reduce the number of journeys you make overall. Outdoor exercise should be done locally wherever possible, but you can travel a short distance within your area to do so if necessary (for example, to access an open space).
Are there exceptions for children and young people?
- England: Children under 5 are not counted towards the gatherings limits for exercising outside.
- Scotland: Organised sport and exercise for under-12s can continue, with a limit of 15 under-12s and two adult facilitators.
- Wales: No.
- Northern Ireland: Physical education delivered by or for schools, pre-schools and other education providers is permitted to continue.
If there are any further updates to the guidelines we will be sure to update you via email, our blog and Facebook page.
