Around 200 gym trainers and owners protested in front of the houses of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Lt-Governor Anil Baijal at Civil Lines, holding placards and shouting slogans, asking that gyms be reopened in Delhi.
“Every other business is open in Delhi, but gyms are asked to stay shut. There are about 5,500 gyms and 5 lakh families are dependent on them. When restaurants and bars can open with 50% seating capacity, why not gyms? The Delhi Disaster Management Authority permitted marriage halls where people gather in large numbers, eat and dance in close proximity without masks. We are feeling helpless and cheated,” Chirag Sethi, vice-president of the Delhi Gym Association, remarked.
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Gym owners, according to the protesters, are suffering a terrible financial problem and are being pushed to sell their businesses. “The fitness industry is on the verge of going bankrupt. The industry has somehow managed two lockdowns, but this time, it is breaking its foundation…,” In a letter to the L-G, the gym organisation stated.
According to a senior government official, “People workout in very close proximity in gyms and social distancing is hard to implement. It could prove to be a super spreader for the virus. The matter will be taken up in the next meeting on February 7 and restrictions will be eased if cases continue to dip.”