CIMSPA and EMD UK update on group exercise in England

Tier 1 & 2

Outdoors

• Personal training can take place in groups of up to 6 people from different households including the instructor, in a public outdoor space or garden.
• Organised outdoor sport, physical activity and exercise classes can continue in groups of up to 30 people, including the instructor/s, in a public outdoor space.
• COVID-secure guidance should be followed. We also recommend participants wear face masks until they are in their allocated class space.

Indoors

• Indoor exercise classes and personal training can take place. There is no upper limit on class size but you must ensure you have 3m x 3m per person for movement classes or 2m x 2m per person for static classes and have divided the usable floor space by 100sq ft per person for maximum capacity numbers.
• Participants should not mix before or after the class (unless they are from the same household/bubble) and should ensure all COVID guidelines in the EMD UK Return to Play pack are adhered to.
• There are exceptions on class sizes for indoor disability sport, sport for educational purposes and supervised sport and physical activity for under-18s, which can take place with larger groups mixing.
• Face coverings should be worn indoors, apart from while exercising.
• In Tier 1, personal training can take place within a private home, following the ‘rule of 6’.

Tier 3

Outdoors

• Personal training can take place in groups of up to 6 people from different households including the instructor, in a public outdoor space.
• Organised outdoor sport, physical activity and exercise classes can continue in groups of up to 30 people, including the instructor/s, in a public outdoor space.
• Higher-risk contact activity should not take place (we are seeking clarity on the definition of higher-risk).
• COVID-secure guidance should be followed. We also recommend participants wear face masks until they are in their allocated class space.

Indoors

• Organised indoor sport, physical activity and exercise classes cannot take place indoors. We are still in discussions with DCMS on this and will provide an update as soon as possible.
• There are exceptions for indoor disability sport, sport for educational purposes and supervised sport and physical activity for under-18s.

Travel Restrictions

Instructors

• You can travel between tiers when necessary for work.
• If you travel from Tier 2 to Tier 1 you must continue to follow the Tier 2 rules.
• If you travel from Tier 1 to Tier 2 you must follow the Tier 2 rules.
• If you travel from Tier 1 or 2 to Tier 3 you must follow the Tier 3 rules.
• If you travel from Tier 3 to Tier 1 or 2 you must follow the Tier 3 rules.

Participants

• Participants cannot travel between tiers to attend classes.

Working in private homes and gardens
We are still working with Sport England and DCMS to clarify a number of other questions on the new guidance within Tier 2&3, including the ability for personal trainers and instructors to use home gyms and studios, and to work with clients within private homes and gardens. We will publish more detailed guidance as soon as possible.

CIMSPA has several digital resources available to support the sector during the coronavirus crisis, including:

• ReTrain - a £1.5m training initiative designed to retool the sport and physical activity workforce, funded by The National Lottery through Sport England.
• ReActive - Refresh your Covid training and return to sport and physical activity with confidence.
• ReOpen - an online hub offering guidance and resources to support the sector in reopening facilities, when permitted.
• Stronger Together Hub - a range of resources and advice to support businesses and individuals.
• Stronger Together Facebook Group - an open community for all those working in the sector.