Starting from June 15, the Joint Order signed by the Minister of Youth and Sports, Ionuț Stroe and the Minister of Health, Nelu Tătaru, entered into force for the approval of the regulations regarding the conditions of access and practice of individual or team sports in different contexts and types of spaces.
At the end of this article I have included the list, as well as the downloadable documents with the full texts of the 6 Annexes that accompany the Order.
Below is an extract from Annex 6 which regulates sporting activities in closed spaces (gyms).
(…) B. MEASURES SPECIFIC TO PHYSICAL TRAINING ACTIVITIES IN CLOSED SPACES
- Personal hygiene measures
– Except during the period of intense physical effort, it is mandatory to wear it masks (medical/non-medical) in common areas, which for effective protection must cover both mouth and nose.
– Respiratory hygiene is mandatory (cough and sneeze into your elbow or disposable tissue, which will be immediately thrown in the trash);
– It is recommended to avoid touching the face with unhygienic hands;
– Regular hand washing is preferable to wearing gloves
Measures regarding the organization of physical training activity
– The administrator of the units where the physical training activities take place elaborates own procedures by which to ensure compliance with the rules for carrying out the activity and divide the work tasks for the employed staff;
– They will install information boards with government rules and directions regarding the measures to combat the spread of the infection with COVID 19;
– They will be nominated by own procedures, responsible persons to respect the maximum number of people allowed in each type of room. These persons may be employees of the unit.
– The cleaning staff will deploy cleaning and disinfection activities according to the established schedule and will wear appropriate protective equipment against infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus (mask, gloves).
– Biocidal products approved must be placed at the entrance and in other accessible areas;
– Ensuring an adequate number of closed waste bins with pedal operated lid, for the selective collection of waste, to be available in each area of the base.
– Organization of the space for anaerobic physical training (on devices) so as to allow maintaining a safety space for each person of at least 7 square meters;
– Organization of the space for aerobic physical training so as to allow the maintenance of a safety space for each person of at least 10 square meters;
- Coordination of the hall administrators with the health and local authorities so that ensuring the health of all participants in the sports activity, but also of the auxiliary staff, represents the priority objective;
– Daily observational triage upon entering the room. Access will not be allowed to people showing symptoms of respiratory infection (cough, sneezing, rhinorrhea, altered general condition) and a temperature higher than 37.3 degrees C.
- Placing containers with disinfectant solutions for hands at the entrance to the hall;
- Elaboration of occupational health and safety plans, in accordance with the Order of the Minister of Labor and Social Protection and the Minister of Health no. 3.577/831/2020 regarding measures to prevent contamination with the new SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus and to ensure the performance of work at the workplace in conditions of safety and health at work, during the state of alert;
– In the case of rooms conditioned by air recirculation, it is carried out nebulization once a week, outside working hours and it disinfects the air conditioning system according to the manufacturer's instructions;
– Common surfaces and spaces will be disinfected frequently (at least once every 4 hours);
– Ensuring adequate ventilation of all rooms or airing them periodically, at least once every 4 hours.
2. Access to the fitness and aerobics room
– User access will only be allowed after observational triage and thermometry; – Users are informed not to come to the training centers if they show clinical signs of respiratory virus;
– Access to the hall must be made only on the basis of a prior appointment. The programming of users must be done in such a way as to allow enough time for the periodic sanitization of the hall, but also for the release of the changing rooms, under the conditions that a safe distance between people must be maintained here as well;
- It will be held nominal record of the people who used the hall in each time interval, so that contacts can be easily identified, in the event that a case of infection with COVID-19 is detected among the users of the respective fitness or aerobics room.
– The number of people training at any one time will be limited according to the capacity of the hall, to maintain the safety distance, so that each person has a space of 7 square meters in the case of machine exercises and 10 square meters in the case of aerobic exercises.
- Access will not be allowed and isolation at home will be recommended if the person has come into contact with a suspected or confirmed case of infection with the SARS COV-2 virus;
– Setting up the place and developing the body temperature measurement procedure and designating a person responsible for this procedure;
– Installation of a dispenser for disinfectant;
– Digitization of administrative practices (to avoid the use of paper registration forms, etc.);
3. Indoor fitness and aerobic training
– Users of the fitness and aerobics rooms will be trained wash hands before and after training;
– In the case of fitness rooms, the use of devices in circuit mode will be avoided and the use of only one type of machine in the same training session will be encouraged;
– Exercise spaces are demarcated, with maintaining a physical distance of at least 1.5 m between any two people and ensuring a space of at least 7 sqm/person in the case of anaerobic exercises (on machines), respectively of 2 meters between any two people and ensuring a space of at least 10 sqm/ person in the case of aerobic exercises. The same distance will be ensured, including between the athlete and the technical staff (coach, doctor, etc.);
– Sports equipment will be disinfected before and after each user;
– Cleaning and disinfecting the area as often as possible;
– With the exception of the period of intensive physical activities, wearing the mask is mandatory for the entire duration of the presence in the gym;
4. Actions to be taken after training
- Shared use of showers, saunas and other high-risk areas is prohibited of virus transmission;
– After finishing the training, it is considered staggered entrance to changing rooms, avoiding crowding and maintaining distance, respecting a space of 4 square meters for each person;
– Selling and/or offering self-service snacks/drinks is not allowed; through exception, the operation of vending machines for soft drinks and packaged food is allowed, provided that they are consumed outdoors, in compliance with the rules for preventing the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in public food establishments, established by the Ministry of Health and the National Veterinary Sanitary and Food Safety Authority.
– Changing rooms must be provided with cleaning and hand disinfection materials (water, soap, biocidal products) and will be cleaned and disinfected before and after each use. (…)
Complete list of Appendices accompanying the Order:
- Appendix 1 - Regulation regarding the conditions necessary to be observed for access to sports facilities – unload
- Appendix 2 – Regulation regarding the conditions necessary to be observed in view practicing individual outdoor sports – unload
- Appendix 3 – Regulation regarding the conditions necessary to be observed for practicing outdoor team sports – unload
- Appendix 4 – Regulation regarding the conditions necessary to be observed for resumption of swimming in indoor and outdoor pools from Romania - unload
- Appendix 5 – Regulation regarding the conditions that must be met in order for professional athletes, performance athletes and/or registered athletes, to physical training activities organized in closed spaces – unload
- Appendix 6 – Regulation regarding the conditions necessary to be respected in order to be carried out physical training activities in fitness and aerobics rooms – unload
