BlocHaus Fyshwick reopens amid easing of restrictions

BlocHaus in Fyshwick reopened under a temporary booking system following Friday's easing of restrictions, which allow up to 100 people to attend indoor venues in Canberra.

A few extra hygiene precautions and a lot more cleaning requirements didn't deter patrons or staff on Saturday, many who have been without work since March.

Canberra general manager Alex Knowles said while no one had lost their jobs, the majority of its 25-30 casual employees had been temporarily laid off.

Mr Knowles said a percentage of them had been eligible for JobKeeper, while others had relied on alternative employment to see them through.

Ollie Ryrie manages BlocHaus in Melbourne. He said as the gym hadn't yet been open two years, none of the casual employees had been there long enough to claim JobKeeper.

For safety measures, he said both gyms had increased the turnover of routes to three times a week, allowing different wall sections to be reset and holds to be cleaned.

An alcohol-based liquid chalk will be the way forward, while street shoes will be designated to the streets.

Mr Knowles said with coronavirus cases in Canberra virtually stagnating recently, the community had been "pretty stoked" to get back to the gym.

"Staff are also keen to get back," he said. "It's a big family of staff that we have here and its big for them to be missing out on their job but also on climbing. It's a mental thing as well as a physical, it's good for the body and the mind."

Sarah Lattimore and Nina Gruenewald said the bouldering gym was about socialising as much as about sport.

"Everyone is just really friendly and open to helping people without being condescending," Ms Lattimore said.

The NAATI Translation colleagues have been working from home for weeks.

Ms Gruenewald said the isolation of the home office, coupled with the closure of gyms, had definitely had an affect on her mental wellbeing.

"Many of us have been doing home workouts and going for runs but you miss being around people," she said.

Canberra Indoor Rock Climbing gym in Hume and Mitchell also opened on Saturday with 55-person maximums at both gyms.

Outdoors in Wanniassa, teams of eager four and five-year-olds finally got the chance to play their inaugural soccer match of the season. The first game ever for the under-fives.

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Parents were designated zones to spectate from safely and sanitiser stations were set up around the oval.

The Tuggeranong United matches were the first MiniRoos competition to start in Canberra post COVID-19. More clubs are set to start their Miniroos competitions next week.

Queanbeyan indoor pool will open for the first time since coronavirus from Monday, with lap swimmers and aqua aerobics attendees the first to be welcomed back.

While swimming at outdoor pools has been permitted for some time, the NSW government's recent easing of restrictions has allowed the Queanbeyan-Palerang Council to begin reopening indoor facilities.

Mayor Tim Overall said the indoor pool was important to many people in the community both for exercise and mental wellbeing.

"Obviously, the weather doesn't allow us to open our outdoor pool at the moment, however it will be very pleasing to see patrons back in our indoor pool," Mr Overall said.