Coronavirus in Scotland: Gyms and swimming pools to reopen on 31 August

Swimming pools will be able to reopen from 31 August

Gyms, swimming pools and indoor sports courts will be able to reopen from 31 August, Nicola Sturgeon has announced.

The first minister told Holyrood she was bringing forward the reopening of the facilities, which were previously expected to open in mid-September.

She said it meant people aged 12 and over could take part in non-contact activity in places such as dance and gymnastics studios.

Younger children will be able to take part in all activity.

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How have gym and pool operators reacted to the announcement?

The move has been widely welcomed by the sports and fitness industry which had become increasingly vocal in its calls to allow gyms and pools to reopen safely.

Scottish Swimming said it had shared guidance on safely reopening with pool operators but warned not all of them were likely to reopen on 31 August.

Anytime Fitness, which runs gyms across the UK, said it was delighted but would only allow its Scottish gyms to reopen when they were "fully compliant" with government guidelines.

Gyms will be subject to strict hygiene guidelines

And gym owner Steven McLaughlin told BBC Radio Scotland's Drivetime that Ms Sturgeon's announcement was a "surprise but certainly a welcome one".

He said they hoped to learn from the gym reopening process in England and they were ready to welcome members back to the studio.

"That team that we've got can finally all come back together again and we can welcome that family of members," he said.

Next steps

In a statement ahead of First Minister's Questions, Ms Sturgeon said more restrictions were due be lifted on 14 September.

They would see sports stadiums, theatres and live music venues reopened with social distancing, limits on capacity and enhanced hygiene.

Indoor contact sports for people aged 12 and over could also return.

And limits on numbers at weddings and funerals could be relaxed - though they would still be subject to some restrictions.

"However, I must stress these possible changes are at this stage indicative only," Ms Sturgeon said.

"And given the volatility we face in transmission of the virus, there is a very real possibility that these plans will change."

Ms Sturgeon also announced that police would be given powers to break up and disperse house parties.

She told the Scottish Parliament that 77 new cases of coronavirus had been recorded in the past 24 hours.

"This is the highest number of daily cases in three months," she said.

Twenty-seven of those positive tests can be linked to an outbreak in Coupar Angus, and there were 12 new cases in Grampian, where Aberdeen remains in lockdown.

Ms Sturgeon told MSPs that Scotland would remain in phase three of the lockdown easing process, and that this may not change at the next review in three weeks' time.

For Scotland to move into phase four, she said ministers would have to be satisfied that "the virus is no longer considered a significant threat to public health".

And she said the latest figures showed that "this is definitely not the case".

Working from home will "remain the default position", Nicola Sturgeon said

The first minister added that the government was not setting a date for the reopening of non-essential call centres and offices.

A full return to office working would significantly increase the risk of transmission, she warned.

"For now, working from home remains the default position," she said.

The impact it would make on community transmission would make it difficult to keep schools open, Ms Sturgeon added.

"Our priority is to enable children to be safely back at school," she said.

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