Fife’s Beacon Leisure Centre has been forced to restrict services, just two weeks after it reopened following a Covid upgrade.
Fife Sports and Leisure Trust, which runs the Beacon in Burntisland, has blamed staff shortages caused by coronavirus.
All activities have been suspended until further notice, with the exception of swimming lessons and existing gym and Astro bookings.
An announcement regarding the restricted services was made on the Beacon Centre’s Facebook page.
Staff shortages
It read: “Due to staff shortages caused by the pandemic, we will be operating with a reduced service.
“The only activities we can safely carry out is our Learn to swim programme, existing gym and Astro bookings.
“All other activities will be suspended.
“We understand that this is not an ideal situation but it is the only way can operate to keep our customers and staff safe during this difficult period.
“All platforms will be updated when we are back to normal operations.”
£1m upgrade
The news comes just two weeks after the popular sports facility reopened following a work to ensure it met coronavirus safety guidelines.
The work included £100,000 worth of improvements to social distancing, the pool area and centre’s ventilation system, after the trust said the Beacon’s layout had presented a “number of challenges to deliver the necessary health and safety protocols”.
The vital upgrade was part of a long-term £1m investment by Fife into the Beacon.
It meant the centre was the only facility in Fife not to reopen after lockdown rules were changed in April.
A Fife Sports and Leisure Trust spokesperson said: “We are currently operating a reduced service at the Beacon Leisure Centre due staffing issues.
“This has come about due to staff being identified as a close contact through Test and Protect and it is therefore not possible to adequately staff the facility.
“The self-isolation of staff is not related to confirmed Covid cases at the centre and we are working hard to redeploy staff from other sites to re-instate services as quickly as possible.
“We do not expect this situation to be a long-term one and we would encourage customers to check our website for details of services as the situation is being monitored daily.
“Customers will also find details of other local trust sites which are open.
“We would like to apologise for any inconvenience and thanks customers for their continued support.”