Outdoor swimming pools and leisure centres are capable of re-opening "quite easily" within weeks under social distancing measures, a leading gym boss has said.

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Glenn Earlam, chief executive of David Lloyd Leisure, which has leisure centres in Eastwood and Basildon, said he believed there was a "prejudice against certain sectors", and argued that gyms should be allowed to open before shopping centres.

It comes as Boris Johnson is set to reveal plans for easing the UK's coronavirus lockdown on Sunday evening.

It has been reported that gyms or leisure centres may be shut until the autumn, as they have been dismissed as a "hotbed of infection".

Mr Earlam told the PA news agency: "The evidence suggests that keeping the body fit and healthy could be one of the best things to do to prevent Covid-19, but I think gyms and leisure centres are quite far down on the pecking order of opening things up again, which seems pretty counter-intuitive.

"I believe leisure centres and gyms could be safely reopened quite easily, not everything would be the same at the start, there would have to be screens on reception desks, floor markings ensuring members stay two metres away and every piece of equipment would be cleaned after every use, with hand towels readily available.

"The numbers of people entering could also be limited, with ill people advised to stay at home.

"At DLL we've created an environment that's incredibly clean, the whole team will be given PPE and asked to wipe down door handles and surfaces. A cleaning team would be operating twice as normal as usual, and group sessions would be limited with regular cleaning breaks. So we're ready to start opening facilities again in the coming weeks.

"We'd also be in the position to reopen outdoor swimming pools - all the advice suggests chlorine kills Covid stone dead. Of course we'd have to limit the number of people around the pool and changing rooms would remain closed, but there's nothing to suggest people can't safely swim while maintaining social distancing measures."

On the possibility of gyms being kept shut until autumn, Mr Earlam suggested gyms and leisure centres should be prioritised above shopping centres and should follow countries such as Switzerland, which is set to allow fitness facilities to open on Monday.

He said: "I have seen it reported that gyms may be kept shut for a few more months, at this moment it is unclear if this is the case, but I would argue that leisure centres such as ours are safer than shopping centres, but the Government doesn't seem to agree.

"There isn't any logic to prioritising centres where people shop for pleasure over health and fitness, there seems to be a sort of prejudice against certain sectors and mixed messages across Europe over what the best solution is."

It comes amid a spike in demand for home workout equipment, suggesting attitudes to exercise could change when the lockdown is lifted.

Mr Earlham added: "I suppose there could be a slight change, people could become used to exercising using apps, which many have been doing recently, or limiting the amount of time they leave the house, so we may see members visiting facilities much less, and exercising a portion of the time at home.

"But I'd expect many people, especially fitness fanatics, would be eager to get out again."