NT Chief Health Officer Hugh Heggie has ordered indoor gyms in the Greater Darwin area to stay shut for at least another week but has given Darwin Festival the green light to reopen.
The decision has baffled gym owners, who say their stringent cleaning regimes and social distancing requirements will keep people safe.
Fitness Works owner Chloe Scheppard said she was "really disappointed" to hear the news, especially considering Darwin Festival — an event which attracted thousands into the CBD — was allowed to go ahead.
"Why are clubs and pubs allowed to reopen and we're not?" she questioned.
"We have more checks and balances than them, no one's coming in inebriated, forgetting to wear their mask or to social distance.
"It just doesn't make any sense."
Ms Scheppard said their gym, which was membership only, was also able to track the comings and goings of attendees, adding another layer of protection.
"We know every person who comes into the business we can track them, we have security cameras we have cleaning in place, we're able to social distance all the time," she said.
CHO's decision on gyms
Darwin emerged from a snap 72-hour lockdown yesterday, with hopes restrictions in Katherine will ease today.
At a press conference on Thursday, Dr Heggie said the main reason indoor fitness centres would need to stay closed for now was because of "fomites" (objects likely to carry and transmit infection).
Dr Heggie said gyms had a lot of fomites (such as gym equipment) which were typically shared, making the risk of transmission high despite cleaning regimes.
University of Queensland professor of medicine Paul Griffin said Dr Heggie's call was "not unreasonable" considering how highly infectious the Delta strain had proven to be.
Professor Griffin said indoor gyms were often confined places with "relatively poor ventilation" and lots of contact surfaces.
"Even with really good cleaning protocols it's hard to be completely reassured that every touch point in the entire venue is sufficiently clean that transmission is addressed," he said.
And Professor Griffin said because gyms were used for strenuous exercise, people often sweated heavily and were prone to removing or adjusting their masks while doing so, which increased the risk of transmission.
Gyms vs pubs, Darwin Festival
Darwin Festival, which will reopen today, has updated its COVID-19 safety plan in line with new regulations.
Organisers say 30,000 tickets have been sold for the 2021 event, which is primarily held outdoors.
Attendees will now need to wear their masks at all times inside Festival Park and remain seated while they're eating or drinking.
Darwin Festival artistic director Felix Preval said the team was "incredibly excited" to be able to present the final three nights of the event.
"Miraculously, we have been able to reprogram almost all of the final performances across those final three days," he said.
But Mr Preval confirmed, under the new regulations, attendees would no longer be able to sing or dance.
"Leave the singing to the artists, that's our preference anyway," he laughed.
All standing events will now be seated.
Professor Griffin said because the main stage and food stalls were outdoors, it would help minimise transmission risk.
"Risk is a spectrum and there are so many things that contribute," he said.
"Certainly, going outdoors goes a very long way to reducing the risk especially if there are some good systems in place."
For Ms Scheppard, the decision still felt unfair.
"If they let us reopen, whatever they want us to do, we'd be more than happy to do it," she said.
