Tiered guidelines update – 6th January 2021

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.