Government warned about generation lost to exercise after latest national lockdown

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The Government has been warned it is facing a fresh health crisis across London and the wider country over the latest lockdown measures.

Huw Edwards, chief executive of ukactive, said some gyms and leisure centres were in danger of going bust amid the latest setback, and that England would be hit by another long-term health emergency over obesity, diabetes and mental health.

He also warned there were huge ramifications for children, raising fears of creating a generation lost to exercise.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson gave the green light for elite sport to continue in England last night, but all grassroots sport has effectively been halted, with exercise limited to one hour a day and with only one person outside of your household.

Edwards, whose association represents 4,000 gyms and leisure centres across the UK, said: “Really traumatic is what this is. The period in January, February and March is where the sector is [usually] at its most buoyant, when people are looking at their health and wellbeing.

“Gyms, pools and leisure centres look at a 30 per cent uptake in their facilities. That loss is hugely challenging. You will potentially see winding-up orders across London for facilities that communities depend on.”

Around 30 per cent of gyms and leisure centres have still not opened since the first lockdown in March, and figures from that time saw a drop in three million people meeting their 150 minutes a week guidance of exercise issued by the country’s Chief Medical Officer.

Sport England are this week expected to publish figures regarding the impact o lack of exercise on young people, which Edwards warned could be “potentially quite negative”.

“In the first lockdown, it was pretty warm, so people got outside,” he said. “This is now the depth of winter and, with that, there are restricted opportunities to get out. Some people don’t want to be in the streets in the darkness, so will not do their exercise — and that will build up huge pressure points on physical and mental wellbeing.

“There’s a fear of creating a generation where the love of movement, exercise and play is not there. That’s a great cause for concern. This is an immediate crisis and, right now, we’re firefighting.”

Most indoor facilities had already been closed under Tier 4 restrictions in England, with the latest rules meaning the additional closure of golf courses, tennis courts and outdoor gyms for at least seven weeks. Team sport for the under-18s has also now been halted.

Edwards insisted grassroots sport needed to be central to the nation’s revival after this latest lockdown.

“The private sector is now requiring direct Government support in a way it hasn’t had before,” he said. “While the Government is trying to suppress the Covid crisis, this is another crisis developing [which] will have long-term impacts on issues such as obesity, diabetes and mental health.”

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