SportSG to regulate user access to all its sports facilities
Where possible, it will implement single point of entry, limit number of patrons within indoor halls
Sport Singapore (SportSG) will regulate user access across all its sports facilities from today to ensure adequate physical distancing among users, the national sports agency announced yesterday.
This applies to all ActiveSG stadiums, sports halls, gyms, swimming complexes and studios, and its facilities will implement a single point of entry where possible to facilitate temperature-taking and recording of visitor details.
These precautionary measures follow the latest advisory from the Ministry of Health (MOH), which contains new guidelines including deferring or cancelling ticketed events with 250 participants or more.
SportSG also urged national sports associations and its other partners to strictly follow MOH guidelines.
SportSG chief executive officer Lim Teck Yin noted that actions such as physical distancing, wiping sports equipment down after use and refraining from visiting the premises while ill are ways that Singaporeans can do their part.
He added: "We have come up with these measures to enable socially responsible behaviour. Regulating the number of people at facilities helps increase personal space and allows one to adopt physical distancing."
Regulated access to gyms will be implemented according to the size of the facility, with notices to be displayed and queue numbers issued if the gym is at full capacity. Programmes conducted at ActiveSG studios will also be held outdoors.
Children's pools at ActiveSG swimming complexes will be closed until further notice, with temperature-taking and visitor registration occurring at all pools.
INDOOR SPORTS HALL
For indoor sports halls that are shared by users for activities such as badminton and table tennis, only alternate courts will be available to limit the number of patrons within the hall and to maintain some physical distance. Some court bookings from today will be cancelled and refunded. There will be no changes to squash and tennis court bookings and usage.
Lane segregation for joggers will also be implemented at the stadiums.
Organisers have also been asked to limit entry of players and officials to facilities by time blocks, especially during leagues or tournaments, and non-players are allowed only in the spectator stands.
Retiree Choo Geok Beng, who plays badminton once a week at the Clementi Sports Hall, feels using only alternate courts is a rather "drastic" step.
"Maybe (these steps) are needed for gyms, but when you play badminton you are not very close to other people," explained the 62-year-old.
"Each court has its own bench and there is also a space between courts... for me, it is important that people exercise and keep healthy."
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