During the protest by the members of gym association in Sector 9, Chandigarh, on Tuesday. (Express Photo) More than 250 gym staff as well owners including members of the Greater Punjab Gyms Association protested outside the UT Advisor office in Sector 9 on Tuesday. They protested against the Administration’s decision to keep the gyms in Chandigarh closed since January 6, while other closed spaces like bars, restaurants, spas, salons remain open, as per the latest Covid guidelines. While the gyms were closed for more than four months in 2020, they were also closed for more than three months last year followed by this latest order.
“We have come to protest as it’s a matter of more than 5,000 families. The city sees the presence of close to 400 gyms, small and big and apart from the owners, the gyms provide jobs to more than 5,000 trainers and other staff. Their family members are also dependent on the business and the recent order impacts each one of us. When other closed spaces like spas, salons are open, why close gyms? There is no particular scientific data which says that gyms are responsible for Covid spread and like all the other closed spaces, we should be allowed to open,” said Pankaj Kasrija of Greater Punjab Gyms Association.
The gym owners of Chandigarh had approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court last week challenging the order of UT Administration. The order, however, allowed that bars, cinema halls, restaurants and spas to operate with 50 per cent of their capacity. The petitioner contended that in March, 2020, the first lockdown was imposed and all cinema halls, swimming pools, gyms, sporting events were directed to be closed. In July, 2020, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare ordered the opening of gyms under the standard operating procedure. While the HC bench of Justice Rajbir Sehrawat issued notice to UT Administration and adjourned the matter for February 25, gym owners also met UT Administrator Banwari Lal Purohit.
“Even states like Maharashtra and West Bengal have opened gyms in the third wave. We met UT SDM Tejdeep Singh at the Administrator’s residence, they assured us to take the order back by January 27. If the order is not taken back, we will sit on indefinite strike. The HC has given the date of February 25 but what we do till then? We already saw a drop of more than 30 per cent in membership in last two years and all are suffering,” said another gym owner.
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