The Latvian Health and Fitness Association points out that the “traffic light” principle approved by the Cabinet of Ministers and promoted by the Ministry of Health means a slow death for the industry, as the rate of 100 cases per 100 thousand people will most likely be reached in the autumn, especially considering current vaccination rates. The association will call on the government to review this precautionary mitigation scheme and to follow the experience of Estonia and other countries in deciding the fate of the sports industry.
"We see that the incidence of Covid-19 in Latvia is decreasing from week to week, compared to November and December last year. When the industry was banned in December, the government said we would withstand the strictest bans for a month and expect the morbidity to stabilize - then allow sports clubs to operate in limited conditions as before. A month and a half has passed, the figures are falling, but we see that the government is doing the exact opposite, saying that sports will only take place when there are almost no patients in Latvia! It should be mentioned that in many parts of Europe sports clubs with similar indicators can work - it is not only our will, but sports is an important precondition for public health and psychological resilience, at the same time it is a workplace for coaches, ”admits the association's head and board member Gints Kuznetsov.
The association points out that the sports industry has been very conscientious in complying with epidemiological measures and a patient executor of government decisions, but that sports clubs can no longer withstand a complete closure. The sports industry association has developed and implemented a special COVID-19 precautionary memorandum with strictly defined operating principles so that clubs can be a safe place for anyone to carry out their sports activities. Other countries opt for the closure of the sector only as a short-term solution to achieve the rapid goal. If the result is not achieved, more sustainable solutions must be sought so that the industry can exist while maintaining high epidemiological safeguards.
The association cites Estonia as a successful example, with similar cumulative morbidity rates, but has made it clear that a policy of restraint must keep pace with economic viability, including allowing sports clubs to operate [1].
"We are currently consulting with sports associations in other countries to build on their experience and develop rational solutions - for example, how to ensure high epidemiological safety measures according to different morbidity rates. We believe that each industry needs to develop its own traffic light principle. We have to learn to live with the new situation for a long time, and this coexistence must not be a permanent closure, ”says Gints Kuzņecovs, the head of the association and a member of the board.
The association also points out that a number of international studies show that the proportion of people infected with COVID-19 in sports clubs is very low, with 1.12 per 100,000 visits reported out of the 115 million visits analyzed [2].
The Latvian Health and Fitness Association, which unites the largest sports clubs in Latvia, admits that the industry's turnover in 2020 has decreased by 40%. For comparison, in 2019 it was 25 million euros, but the paid taxes in the budget - more than 5.3 million euros. The industry employs more than 1,500 people - sports, fitness coaches and administrative staff, while the number of athletes is more than 125 thousand or a quarter of the economically active population.
Information provided by:
Member of the Board of the Latvian Health and Fitness Association
Gints Kuzņecovs, mob. 29478874
https://www.kriis.ee/en/news/government-approved-nationwide-restrictions-covid-19-control
http://www.ehfa-membership.com/sites/europeactive.eu/files/covid19/ThinkActive/SAFE-Active-Study-FINAL_print.pdf
