SINGAPORE: All sports and physical activities may resume when Phase 2 of Singapore’s reopening begins, under several conditions, said Sport Singapore (SportSG) on Wednesday (Jun 17).
In its advisory, the national sport agency said that most sport and recreational facilities, whether managed by public, private or commercial entities, may reopen on Friday. These include swimming pools, stadiums, fitness studios, gyms, indoor sport halls, outdoor courts, bowling centres and golf courses, including those in condominiums.
Most ActiveSG facilities will reopen, but dual-use facilities in schools and some facilities listed below will remain closed.
The Rink@Jcube will open later, on Jul 3.
Additionally, lawns and open spaces in parks and state lands under NParks and the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) will reopen, the authority said in a separate press release. Playfields and beaches under SLA will also reopen to the public.
The beaches at St John’s, Lazarus and Kusu Islands will also resume operation, said SLA. St John’s Island Lodge will remain closed as activities held there tend to involve large numbers of people who are likely to come into close contact for prolonged periods of time, it added.
Even though senior-centric activities that can be done individually can resume from Friday, seniors should stay at home as much as possible as they are more vulnerable to COVID-19, SportSG said.
READ: Phase 2: Expert tips on how to stay safe in the gym, yoga studio and swimming pool
READ: No buffets and testing of beauty products: List of Phase 2 safety guidelines released for retail and F&B outlets
WHAT MEASURES WILL FACILITIES TAKE?
For premises larger than 50 sq m, “the maximum number of persons allowed … shall be limited according to its gross floor area based on 10 sq m per person or 50 persons, whichever is lower”, SportSG said.
This limit is imposed “to minimise the risk of large clusters forming”, it said.
The SafeEntry digital check-in system will be deployed for all visitors of the reopened facilities. Temperature checks will also be conducted and those who appear unwell will be turned away.
Common spaces and interactive components will be frequently disinfected, with shared common equipment like gym weights and basketballs wiped down and sanitised frequently.
Crowd management systems will be put in place by operators to minimise the mixing of groups. They will also have to keep their indoor premises well-ventilated.
Operators will designate a member of their senior staff as a safe management officer, who will ensure compliance with the new measures.
They will also ensure that all visitors wear masks when they enter the facility. Hand sanitisers will be placed in close proximity of the facility entrance and high-touch surfaces like door handles.
READ: COVID-19: Playgrounds, beaches to reopen at start of Phase 2
READ: Schools to resume CCAs gradually, PE group activities limited to 5 students per group
GUIDELINES FOR EACH TYPE OF SPORTING ACTIVITY
SportSG also offered broad guidelines for the different types of sporting activities.
Racquet sports: Singles and doubles training sessions are permitted for both indoor and outdoor racquet sports such as badminton, table tennis, squash and tennis.
Team sports (indoor and outdoor): Group training in sports such as baseball, basketball, floorball, futsal, handball, hockey, sepak takraw and volleyball is permitted, but each group remains limited to five people with no inter-mixing between groups. Multiple groups have to maintain 3m of safe distance from each other when sharing a venue. There should also be no “deliberate body contact drills and activities”, said SportSG.
Combat sports: For combat sports such as boxing, judo, muay thai, silat, taekwondo and wrestling, training and sparring need to be “modified such that there is no prolonged body contact such as grappling or restraining”, said SportSG. “Transient contact such as kicking and punching are acceptable,” it added. Only non-contact shadow sparring and non-contact technical work with the coach are allowed.
Watersports: Those participating in activities such as canoeing, dragonboating, rowing, sailing and wakeboarding must modify training to observe safe distancing. Active disinfection of all possible contact surfaces must be done before, after and at pre-decided intervals during each session.
Mindsports or e-sports: Those participating in activities such as chess, contract bridge and e-sports must avoid unnecessary crowding. Masks should also be worn.
Aquatics: Each pool lane is limited to five swimmers. Classes are limited to five people and groups have to be separated by 3m. The instructor should preferably wear a mask or face shield if they are in close contact with participants. For activities such as water polo, diving, lifesaving and underwater sports, training is permitted as long as the group size limitation is observed. There should also be no full contact or defending drills.
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