Gym owners say they're not responsible for Covid spreading
FOX 2 - As Covid restrictions loosen up gyms and fitness center owners are feeling left behind. They say they’re the forgotten group, once again.
Gym owners want occupancy pandemic rate loosened up by state
Right now gyms are allowed to operate at 30 percent capacity and are supposed to maintain the strict guidelines in place for them by the state health department.
"We know that people are more obese, addicted and suicidal and in general, in poorer condition than they were a year ago," said Michael Stack.
Stack, the founder and CEO of Applied Fitness Solutions, has several locations in Southeast Michigan.
"We have been on the frontlines to battle this public health crisis for years," he said.
Right now gyms are allowed to operate at 30 percent capacity and are supposed to maintain the strict guidelines in place for them by the state health department.
Stack says what’s emerged out of this pandemic is obesity rates are up 20 percent across the country and a deeper mental health crisis.
"Despite that we went from 25 percent capacity to 30 percent," he said.
On a roundtable discussion Thursday afternoon, Bryan Rief's company runs 50 Planet Fitness locations in Michigan and Ohio.
He says since April they’ve commissioned in-depth air quality studies to, as they say, prove that gyms aren’t spreaders of Covid when safety protocols followed.
"We have performed over 30 of these air quality studies," Rief said. "And we have yet to find coronavirus either in the air samples or surface samples we are taking."
Rief says another study they’ve commissioned looks at gym visit to virus ratios.
"Since reopening in Michigan in early September across 140 MFCA member clubs, that ratio today is .0051 percent again, 0051 percent, it is statistically zero. That’s like the equivalent of one positive case in 19,570 visits to a gym."
Everyone says they’re willing to work with state officials moving forward, but need to get the occupancy up.