With fear gripping the city amid rising cases of Covid-19, gyms opened to a tepid response on Wednesday with most of them wearing a deserted look.
The owners who were allowed to reopen the gymnasiums after more than five months of lockdown said all precautions had been taken but residents were still fearful.
Owner of Aura Gym in New BRS Nagar and president of Punjab Gym Welfare Society, Navneet Singh, said, “Very few residents turned up for a workout on Wednesday. We have taken all the necessary precautions including frequent sanitisation of the machines, thermal screening of visitors, checking with pulse oximeters etc. No one including the trainers is allowed to enter or exercise in the gym without a mask.”
Navneet Singh said, “As per the guidelines issued by the government, the gym owners are not providing facilities like spa, sauna and swimming pool. Further we are also not organising high intensity group classes like aerobics and zumba. The others have also been advised to put the group classes at halt as it might spread the disease.
Another gym owner in Model Town extension, Jagdish Sra, said, “Tepid response was expected. But we have been receiving calls from residents concerned over precautions being taken at the gym and it was expected that they would show up in the coming days. With this, the owners would at least be able to bear the fixed charges like electricity bills and rent, which were a burden on our shoulders during the lockdown.”
{{/usCountry}}Another gym owner in Model Town extension, Jagdish Sra, said, “Tepid response was expected. But we have been receiving calls from residents concerned over precautions being taken at the gym and it was expected that they would show up in the coming days. With this, the owners would at least be able to bear the fixed charges like electricity bills and rent, which were a burden on our shoulders during the lockdown.”
{{/usCountry}}ENTRY IN BATCHES TO AVOID CROWDING
For avoiding crowding in gyms, the owners are now preparing batches for entry. Owner of a gym in Dugri market, Harpreet Singh, said, “The residents are slowly showing up at the gyms. I have already directed my staff to prepare batches. Customers will be allowed to exercise only at a particular time.”
President of Gym Ekta Welfare Association Monu Bhardwaj said, “The government has allowed the owners to allow residents inside their gyms as per the capacity and area of the gym keeping in mind that a distance of 6 feet is maintained. We have advised gym owners to allow only 10-12 people at a time.”
A resident of South City exercising at Aura Gym, Chanakya, said, “It was a new experience going back to gyms. But with the precautions being taken by owners, it was easy for us to exercise without any fear.”