Chennai: After giving permission to gyms in the State to function from 10 August, the Tamilnadu government has released Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the facilities.
It has issued strict guidelines preventing vulnerable groups from visiting the gym. People above the age group of 50 years, persons with comorbidities, pregnant women and children below 15 years are not allowed to use the gym, as per the rules.
The government has allowed air conditioners set at 24°-30° with the relative humidity in the range of 40-70 per cent at facilities. The administration must limit the number of people in the gym and members, trainers and other staff must maintain a distance of minimum of 6ft from one another. The equipment too must be placed 6 feet apart.
Members must wear a face shield while working out. Managers have been told to plan activities while keeping a floor area of 4sqm per member.
The gym users should frequently wash hands with soap for 40-60 seconds and use alcohol based sanitisers for 20 seconds whenever possible. The respiratory etiquettes of using hands to cover mouth and nose while sneezing should be followed. Spitting is also strictly prohibited, the SOP said.