The coronavirus pandemic is reflected in several daily activities, and it is no different in clubs and hotels around the world. With that in mind, this article will focus mainly on highlighting effective safety practices and how a Sports Club Management System can help businesses to comply with preventive measures and be ready to accommodate new habits once it all ends.
Usual recommendations that are already widely publicized about the situation: constantly washing hands with soap and water, using alcohol gel, keeping the rooms ventilated, avoiding handshakes, that the professionals conduct classes and sessions keeping a distance of at least 1.5 meters apart between each student, in addition to the constant cleaning of equipment between one user and another. Those are common practices that should be taken seriously and will help to prevent the spread of the virus, but there are further adaptations that can be implemented in businesses offering services and renting facilities to clients.
The list below was recommended by the Regional Council of Physical Education on how sports and recreational clubs can increase clients’ safety in their facilities:
1 — Balance intensity and volume of the exercises, since the excessive effort can end up having the opposite effect and cause a weakening of the immune system;
2 — People with low immunity (asthma, pneumonia, tuberculosis, cancer, chronic kidney, and transplant patients) or who have flu symptoms, and those who have had contact with suspected cases in the past few days should avoid going to the Club, and the Club’s professional should prescribe exercises for clients to do at home;
3 — Encourage members/clients when they arrive to wash their hands with soap and water, with duration of no less than 20 to 30 seconds, in the manner instructed by the Ministry of Health;
4 — Avoid touching your face, especially the mouth, nose, and eyes, even after using alcohol gel, or after washing your hands;
5 — Do not share personal items such as water bottles and face towels, in addition to cutlery;
6 — When coughing or sneezing, always cover with your arm or with a tissue (discard immediately after use). It is important not to use your hands as they will have contact with devices and other surfaces;
7 — Businesses must carry out periodic and constant cleaning of their equipment, keeping alcohol in gel available for personal hygiene of their members and staff;
8 — Advise clients to wash their hands when changing stations or equipment used, mitigating the transmission of the virus;
9 — Clubs and Hotels, especially those with a high number of clients, must adopt measures to significantly reduce the agglomeration of people, keeping at least 1 meter of distance from one equipment to the other and limiting the number of people, so that it does not exceed more than 1 client for every 2 m² in free exercises. Outdoor activities can be an option;
10 — It is recommended to suspend collective classes, such as gymnastics or functional training in closed environments, to reduce the transmission potential of Covid-19;
11 — It is also recommended to avoid stretching with contact, substituting with a demonstration done by the physical education professional;
12 — All sporting events that promote agglomeration must be postponed.
Besides all the recommendations listed above, there are modern technologies that can come very handy when trying to avoid contact between individuals. Governments and businesses are concerned with the ability to contact trace the source of any person(s) infected with Covid-19 intending to stop the spread of the virus as soon as it is identified. The reliability of the data collected and the speed of communication between businesses and their clients are crucial in this situation as it might prevent further infections.
With that in mind, a CRM for Clubs might be a good start if you don’t already have it. It does not stop people from getting infected, but it gives businesses the ability to track who the clients are and how many people they were in contact with while on your premises. Along with an updated client database, the systems allows monitoring of attendance in classes and facilities, and that must be done consistently and get reported across all staff involved in daily operations to avoid agglomerations of people.
If you allow clients and staff to book facilities like tennis courts, running tracks, and any other sports facilities with 2 or more people attending at a time, consider implementing an online booking system. The article How to Choose the Right Club Management System for Your Company might help you decide what system(s) best suits your needs.
Trying to implement a system that copes with the current situation can be difficult as all data must be accurate and synchronized across all departments. Managers, clients, and staff should have access to the system 24/7, so in case a sudden infection is discovered within a Club/Hotel, managers can immediately connect with all people involved via a contact tracing system.
Joga is helping businesses to implement systems and practices that comply with safety measurements established by governments during this time of adjustments. Send us a message at contact@jogaapp.com and connect with a member of the JogaApp team to find out how we can help you and your business as well.
