The State Government on Sunday provided relief to gymnasiums that were ordered to shut down following the spurt in COVID-19 cases by issuing a fresh set of guidelines allowing them to function with reduced occupancy.
The order issued by Chief Secretary P. Ravikumar under the Disaster Management Act 2005 said that the modifications to the earlier order of April 2, which ordered closure of gymnasiums, have been effected following a number of representations received by the Chief Minister to relax the restrictions with certain conditions.
The order allowed gymnasiums to remain open with the condition that occupancy at any time cannot exceed 50%. Further, strict COVID -19 appropriate behaviour, like ensuring wearing of masks, physical distancing and provision of hand sanitisers, should be enforced. The equipment shall be sanitised after every use and, if there is any violation, the gymnasium will be closed till the COVID-19 pandemic is over.
Appealing for relaxation, gym owners said that more than 3,000 gyms out of about 10,000 in the State had permanently closed after the pandemic related lockdown was implemented in March 2020. The gym owners’ association had sought a relief package from the government since thousands of livelihood are dependent on gyms.
While a series of restrictions had been imposed on Friday, following an appeal by the film industry, the government on Saturday allowed theatres to defer imposition of 50% occupancy till April 7.
