Gyms now allowed to reopen in NCR Plus

Athletes can now opt to do limited training again in NCR Plus. PBA Images (file photo)

By Ivan Saldajeno

MANILA--In a major good news to fitness enthusiasts, the Inter-Agency Task Force has allowed fitness gyms to reopen in the NCR Plus area.

In a statement by Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque on Friday announcing the approval of the IATF Resolution 120, gyms can accommodate up to 30 percent of its usual capacity.

While gyms are usually allowed to operate in areas under the general community quarantine, the fitness centers remained closed in Bulacan, Metro Manila, Rizal, Laguna, and Cavite as part of added restrictions imposed in the said provinces which make up NCR Plus when it was reverted to GCQ to avoid another surge in COVID-19 cases.

With that said, Roque, also the IATF spokesman, added that gyms will need another prerequisite before they can operate again.

"Kailangan ng mga gyms ng safety seal certification galing sa DTI at DOH bago sila makapagbukas," Roque said.

The said certification is being handed to establishments which have been following the COVID-19 protocols excellently that they can operate at a broader capacity than what the rules say.

The news will favor professional teams and even national athletes now aching to return to training in the NCR Plus area.

Currently, PBA and PVL teams are practicing in towns outside NCR Plus, which are either in the regular or modified GCQ.

PVL clubs opted to hold bubble training sessions, while most PBA teams are doing closed circuit training, that is, they go straight to their designated practice arenas from their homes and vice versa strictly.

Only TNT is holding a bubble training in Laoag.

The development could prompt the NBL, whose member teams are mostly based in the NCR Plus area, to resume training as well.

Also allowed to operate are ice skating rinks, which will especially benefit ice skaters who are looking to book a spot in next year's Winter Olympics.

Follow him on Twitter: @IvanSaldajeno