Philadelphia gym owners (from left) Gavin McKay, Osayi Osunde and Stephanie Luongo ask the city to reconsider shutting down gyms, citing their own data which they say shows their precautions against the spread of the COVID-19 are working. “Right now, it’s a blanket shutdown, which isn’t equitable,” said Osayi Osunde, the owner and co-founder of Fit Academy in Brewerytown. This group said it can’t speak for all gyms, but that they represent businesses taking the regulations seriously. They also distanced themselves from photos showing maskless exercisers, including City Councilmember Bobby Henon, which have circulated online in recent weeks. The coalition compiled its own data from member gyms, which they say shows zero transmissions within their spaces out of 318,000 visits. (Emma Lee/WHYY)Ĭoalition members also criticized the new regulations as baseless, that they have been imposed “without showing valid transmission data,” said McKay. Protesters carry signs in support of gym owners who want to stay open despite the coronavirus pandemic. And frankly, a lot of people say, ‘This is only six weeks,’ but if we look at what’s been happening, it’s been eight months,” said Jaime Sutton, owner of J’aime Fitness in Fairmount. “Just here in Philadelphia alone, we’ve had over 13 studios who shut down. The group, which is largely boutique studios that offer personal training or small group classes, said the city failed to provide data to back up why it closed some businesses and not others, and that closure without financial support will result in permanent business failure. WHYY thanks our sponsors - become a WHYY sponsor
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