Northhumberland in lockdown: Leisure centres remain open despite new tighter restrictions

Leisure centres across Northumberland remain open following the introduction of tighter coronavirus restrictions.
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Active Northumberland has reassured the public that its sports centres can and will remain open and that it will be business as usual.

They are classed as Covid secure facilities as they have stringent hygiene and social distancing measures in place.

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A pre-booking requirement ensures that numbers in classes are limited and that a test and trace service can be implemented if needed.

Willowburn Sports and Leisure Centre in Alnwick.Willowburn Sports and Leisure Centre in Alnwick.
Willowburn Sports and Leisure Centre in Alnwick.

This means the centres can continue to operate as they have been since they reopened at the end of July when the national lockdown was lifted.

Mark Warnes, acting chief executive of Active Northumberland, said: “Following the recent new Government announcements that have been introduced to reduce the spread of Covid- 19, including the rule of six, and new stricter limits on people visiting the homes of others, there has been some confusion with the public about whether this affects their visits to our sports centres, their gym sessions or exercise classes.

“We’ve had a number of phone calls and enquiries,” he revealed. “We just wanted to clarify that we will continue to operate as we have been, over recent weeks, and with all the stringent safety measures in place to protect the health of our staff and customers.

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“We have a close relationship with our customers and since reopening, we’ve been overwhelmed by the amazing feedback we’ve received from them. They’ve told us they feel we’ve done a great job in ensuring they feel confident and safe to return to the centres, and also that they’ve been heartened by the warm and friendly welcome by the Active team upon their return.”

The move follows seven local councils in the region – Sunderland, South Tyneside, Northumberland, County Durham, North Tyneside, Gateshead and Newcastle – joining forces to call on the Government to tighten restrictions in an bid to slow the spread of coronavirus.

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