There’s so much going on in the media right now that significant stories are getting lost.
One such story is that of the gyms and fitness centers in the State of New York.
A little background:
Governor Cuomo placed all state determined “non-essential” businesses on “Pause” on March 22, 2020. The “Pause” was to last until April 22nd but was then extended to May 15th.
After the “Pause”, Governor Cuomo announced that New York was going to eventually reopen its businesses in four phases. Each phase was to be 2 weeks apart and the situation would be monitored at each phase to ensure the data supported reopening.
Four days before Phase 4 was to begin, the Governor announced that gyms, movie theaters, and malls would not be included in Phase 4. In fact, he had no idea when they would be allowed to open.
The reason cited was that there was concern over the air conditioning units that could potentially circulate the virus. No data was provided.
The local fitness industry is livid.
Over 700 gyms joined a class-action suit against New York State, citing that it had no evidence that gyms were any more likely to spread the virus than restaurants and bars, which were allowed to open in Phase 3. Compare that with the fact that Florida and Texas are closing bars – not gyms – in a reaction to the increasing number of cases.
The International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association (IHRSA) went to bat for the fitness centers and contacted the Governor’s office directly. They got the run around as the office never cited any facts regarding air conditioning. IHRSA provided data and studies supporting the opening of gyms (similar data was presented to the US government and they announced gyms could open in Phase 1).
When Governor Cuomo was asked directly by a reporter he dismissed the claim and indicated fitness centers were unwilling to make clients wear masks. This was a false statement.
Most gyms are not large box chains like Planet Fitness. The majority are small mom and pop shops serving under 200 members. Many health clubs like ours don’t have centralized A/C. Meeting CDC distancing requirements is easy to achieve by limiting capacity as is being done in other industries. In our gym, we have members sanitize before and after using equipment.
I can tell you first hand that fitness center owners are the wrong group to mess with. They are conditioned against adversity. They make very little money for their efforts and are dedicated to helping people. The battle we are in against the system of “Sick Care” is unrelenting. Our opponents are Big Pharma and a Medical system that doles out drugs to hide symptoms of a body that is neglected. Our other opponents are Big Tobacco and the Food Industry which keeps people high on cigarettes and sugar.
The move by the Governor could very well put a nail in the coffin of many small clubs that just can’t remain solvent long enough to last. More importantly, Governor Cuomo’s draconian actions with the lock down in New York State have set many businesses back years and have caused the state and city governments to swim in red ink. NYC alone has a $10 billion deficit they are trying to fill.
Cuomo’s plan is for a Federal bailout. The stimulus checks, the PPP program and the PUA that were provided by the Federal government are not near enough to make up for shutting down the state for 4 months. With the pandemic being far from over, I can’t imagine New York getting enough aid to cover all that has been lost and all that will be lost in the future.
Whereas many states have tried to strike a balance between keeping people safe and keeping them employed, New York’s focus was all about perceived safety. Keep in mind, New York City still has the highest number of cases per capita – by far – of any other area in the country. New York has been very selective on what businesses were closed from the start. The subways and other mass transits were allowed to run throughout NYC spreading the disease. This is likely the main reason the number of cases increased for over a month after the lock down started.
My wife and I have been in the gym business for over 30 years and we will continue to “fight the good fight”. We are not in it to win but rather push back against a society that has lost its way. We will do this until we can’t do it any longer.
To my friends in the fitness business: keep up the fight!
Ron Fay
