On the same day that the Ontario government announced that gyms will be closed as part of new health measures to prevent further spread of the Omicron COVID-19 variant, Alberta’s representative for the Fitness Industry Council of Canada says it believes a situation like that one in Alberta could be very harmful.
“There are a lot of operators that are barely holding on,” says Scott Wildeman. “They are still trying to get out of the last time they were closed.”
Local gym owners in Calgary echo Wildeman’s sentiment.
Read more:
Ontario Moves Schools To Online Learning, Bans Indoor Meals, Issues New COVID Capacity Restrictions
Martin Venneri leads the F45 at Marda Loop. He says that while there is always concern that Alberta may follow in another province’s footsteps, he feels that the measures in place are keeping people safe.
“By talking to members and the business community, people are confident that the Alberta government will not shut us down this time with the [Restrictions Exemption Program]. “
The Omicron spread is the latest in a series of setbacks the fitness industry has faced since the start of the pandemic, including several shutdowns since March 2020.
However, the latest spike in cases doesn’t seem to be stopping people from meeting their New Year’s resolutions.
“We’ve noticed in the last week that the phone has been ringing and the email has been jumping,” Venneri says. “It seems like some people are ready to get back in shape.”
Read more:
Alberta’s Isolation Period for COVID-19 Cases Shortened from 10 Days to 5
CrushCamp founder Emily Slaneff believes the pandemic has caused more people to worry about creating a healthy lifestyle.
“Their routines have been a bit altered due to COVID … they have been forced in … the gyms have been closed by themselves,” says Slaneff. “I think a lot of people are getting back to the point where they are ready to get moving again.”
Wildeman says that if gyms seem unusually quiet during the week of January, it’s not necessarily a reflection of the state of the industry.
It suggests that many parents have had to make changes to their daily schedule since the children have not yet returned to school.
When asked about the possibility of implementing more restrictions on gyms, a spokesperson for the Health Ministry says it continues to monitor the situation closely and will consider further action if necessary to maintain capacity in our healthcare system.
See link »
© 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
Reference-globalnews.ca