The leisure industry has been one of hardest hit areas in the country since COVID-19 hit the UK. As revealed by The Guardian in June, almost 20% of the leisure centres risk being closed for Christmas, putting almost 60,000 jobs at risk. The new three-tier system in place has allowed areas with medium or high-risk cases to remain, but very high areas, such as Liverpool, have enforced the closure of leisure centres.
Steve McFarlane, a duty manager at Everyone Active Bourne, West Sussex, believes that the site has “adapted quite well” but appreciates it took but it has “some getting used to”. The adaptions in question are “hand sanitisers everywhere, viral plus — our cleaning chemical — everywhere” as well as one-way systems, to ensure two metres are followed in the building. When asked about how Steve perceives the impact on the industry, he stated,
“I think it has been affected, not too badly though. The adaptations that we have put into place is probably the biggest effect on it, but I wouldn’t say that there is any struggle to keep going, due to the size of Everyone Active”.
In the event of a second nationwide lockdown, Steve was unsure on how “much the industry could take” but firmly believes that they will “find a way through whatever happens”.
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