Unlock-4: Gyms and yoga centers to open in Delhi from Monday, weekly markets permitted till September 30

NEW DELHI: The Delhi government has permitted gyms and yoga institutes to open and extended permission to weekly markets to function till September 30, an order issued by the Delhi Disaster Management Authority late on Sunday evening stated. The gyms and yoga institutes can open from Monday provided they strictly follow all the Covid guidelines and the standard operating procedure issued by the Union ministry of health and family welfare.
“The Covid situation in Delhi has been reviewed and it has been decided that present arrangement of opening of the weekly markets on trial basis i.e. one weekly market per day per zone in all three municipal corporations/New Delhi municipal council/Delhi Cantonment Board (except in containment zones) may be continued till September 30 and gymnasiums and yoga institutes may also be allowed to open subject to strict compliance of standard operating procedure issued by the ministry of health and family welfare in this regard,” the order issued by chief secretary Vijay Dev, who is also the chairman of DDMA’s state executive committee, stated.
The SOP entails that these centres exclude people who come under vulnerable categories like those above 65 years, below 10, people with comorbidities; visitors must wear face covers all the time they are inside these centres, two yards distance must be maintained, spas, steam bath, swimming pools will remain shut, minimum of 15-30 minutes gap must be kept between batches, sanitization and disinfection must be carried out between two shifts among various other requirements that these centres have to meet.

No gym or yoga institute located within the containment zone will be allowed to open. Delhi currently has 1,488 containment zones spread across 11 districts. The district magistrates and other authorities concerned have been asked to ensure that the gyms and yoga institutes strictly adhere to the SOP and the Covid guidelines.
“In case of any violation, the owner and manager of the premises will be liable for prosecution under Delhi Disaster Management Act, 2005 besides sealing of such premises,” the order stated.
The order has come as a big relief for over 5,000 gym owners and a large number of yoga institutes which have been closed for over five months since the Covid-19 lockdown started. Almost all of them are under deep financial distress due to their sources of income drying up. Under the various stages of unlocking, the DDMA had permitted markets, restaurants, hotels, bars and several other economic activities to resume but the gyms and yoga institutes were not permitted in Delhi despite the ministry of home affairs on July 29 permitting gyms and yoga institutes to open across the country. Gyms and yoga institutes in neighboring cities in NCR and many other states were functioning since the first week of August.
It forced the gym and yoga institutes owners to resort to protests at different places in the city including outside lieutenant governor Anil Baijal’s residence. Some of them were also booked for it. The AAP government had been pushing for permission for the gyms and yoga institutes to open but the DDMA – which is chaired by the LG – did not permit them to open due to fears of coronavirus spread through these centres.
Delhi Gym Association’s Chirag Sethi said the permission has come as a major relief for gym owners and around 1 lakh people who are directly or indirectly connected to the gyms for livelihoods. “All the gyms will strictly follow all the existing guidelines,” said Sethi.