Yesterday, 18:45 • 5 minutes reading time
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The corona ticket, now mandatory for access to restaurants, cafes, theaters and stadiums, will most likely be extended to include gyms. And gym owners are not waiting for that, according to a tour of RTV Noord.
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‘It means that the threshold for sports is increasing’, says branch organization NL Actief director Patrick Rijnbeek. According to him, the trade association is in close contact with the Ministry of Health and no signals have been received about the introduction of the QR code at gyms. Rijnbeek says he is ‘surprised’, because NL Actief has always stated that access to gyms should be ‘as barrier-free as possible’.
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‘costs manpower’
The branch organization says that gyms in a general sense already have a control function at the door, for example with a membership card. The QR code also already applies to the catering industry in some gyms. ‘We are not yet working on how to pour this into the barrel, but it will take manpower if this continues’, Rijnbeek expects.
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The first cancellations are already in
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Since the leak of the corona measures, the telephone has been red hot at Dijkmansport in Delfzijl and in Ron Haans’ nine gyms in Groningen. ‘Right after that I had at least twenty people on the phone and the e-mails started pouring in. Members are concerned about what this means for exercise within the gym. The first cancellations have already arrived. That is a shame, because we do not yet know exactly what the measures will look like in concrete terms,” says gym owner Stephan van Dijken of Dijkmansport.
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‘I also expect fewer people in my gyms,’ says Haans. ‘We get a lot of questions and comments about whether or not being able to exercise. We try to answer as well and neatly as possible. I think it’s premature of the cancellers. Let’s hope that the government will come up with adequate solutions on Tuesday evening, because every canceler due to this measure is one too many. There are gyms that are having a very hard time, they have not yet recovered from the previous corona blows.’
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Scan full-time QR codes
The lack of staff to check the corona tickets is a major concern of gym owner Van Dijken. ‘It will be quite a challenge for us. We are a small gym with three full-timers and some part-timers around it. We are open 13 hours a day so should check full time. And the disadvantage of the QR code is that you have to do a new check every day, because it can also concern visitors who have not been vaccinated and who have been tested. And a test is valid for 24 hours.’
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According to Van Dijken, it will be difficult to perform the scanning properly. ‘Unless the government assists in the form of an enforcer who scans QR codes all day long. If our staff is charged with this, this will be at the expense of, for example, intakes or other agreements. Then we might as well stop.’
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We will restrict people who are at risk especially by excluding them. That doesn’t seem sensible to me
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The gym owner does not understand why the government chooses gyms to make the admission ticket mandatory. “People come here every day for a reason. We want people to stay healthy and we are now going to impose an extra restriction on them. We will restrict people who are at risk, such as people in a risk group or unvaccinated people, by excluding them. That doesn’t seem sensible to me.’
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‘No solutions for real problems’
Fellow gym owner Ron Haans has fourteen gyms in the Northern Netherlands, including nine in our province. He sees this measure as another blow. ‘Every day we try to help thousands of people to a healthy(er) lifestyle and a sportier life. We’ve had tough periods in the lockdown and now we’re being hit again, because the government doesn’t think well and doesn’t have solutions for the real problems.’
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This ill-considered action raises the threshold to a healthier life
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Haans believes that we should learn to live with corona. ‘It’s not going away from society anymore. But a healthy lifestyle has a positive effect on corona. And that is not discussed in The Hague. The vaccinated/unvaccinated discussion is completely out of the question when it comes to people’s health, in the gym.’
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According to Haans, by introducing the corona pass in gyms, you get a discord. ‘This ill-considered action raises the threshold to a healthier life. My goal is that I want as many people as possible in the northern provinces to exercise and exercise, so that they can lead a nicer and healthier life. In my opinion, by excluding people you create exactly the opposite.’
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We are looking for solutions to get our members, vaccinated or unvaccinated, moving
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Both gym owners hope to hear the concrete measures that apply in gyms this week. What should they take into account and what does that mean for them in practice? ‘We are thinking of having all members come to the counter to show the QR codes. Then we make a note in the member card and then they have full access afterwards. The unvaccinated would then be able to show their test data. If they don’t want to or don’t want to test at all, then we have a problem. I hope to get a definitive answer as to what to do with them, but it looks like they are being excluded.’
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outdoor sports
Whether outdoor sports, such as in times of lockdown, is an option again? ‘Yes, outside is allowed, but it is not ideal during this period and then winter has yet to come. Well, we are looking for solutions in any case to get our members to exercise, vaccinated or unvaccinated’, says Haans.
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Ronald Niemeijer visited Sports Center De Oude Fabriek in Uithuizermeeden in Noord Today and spoke with gym owner Robert de Vries about introducing the corona pass in gyms:
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‘Threshold to go to the gym increases with the introduction of the corona pass’
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Read more:
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this is disgusting. Now you can’t go tot he gym without being FOCRED to take a medical procedure, how far will this tyrannical BS go on….. I hope everyone starts working out at home, stand up and fight this nonsense…..