Pubs, hairdressers and more are allowed to open again in England on Saturday, July 4, and now one gym chain has said it will be joining them too.
Indoor gyms were left off the list of businesses reopening with the Government saying there was a “far greater risk of infection” there because people breath harder and touch surfaces.
The Government said task forces will be set up to try to get these venues open in a safe way, but they will stay closed for now.
But Gymbox rejects that opinion.
The firm announced today that, lacking an explanation, they will reopen at the same time as bars, hotels and restaurants.
Chief executive Marc Diaper said: "As an industry we’ve been continuously overlooked and led up the garden path on a date for reopening.
"We’ve been working closely with UK Active and their medical advisors for months and spent huge amounts of time, effort and money getting our clubs ready to reopen safely to our community with strict protocols in place.
"We’ve been given no explanation from the Government so we can only assume this decision is purely political."
The firm added that it's confident the extra safety introduced across it's chain go above and beyond what bars and restaurants have planned when they re-open.
Senior staff at Gymbox even looked into partnerships with pubs not planning to reopen yet so they could install gym equipment there if that’s what it took to open again.
"Pubs opening before gyms is outrageous given the huge health benefits exercise brings. Perhaps if we change our name from Gymbox to Ginbox, Boris will let us open," Diaper said.
The safety protocols being introduced at Gymbox include:
- Temperature checks on arrival
- Reduced gym and class capacity to practice social distancing
- A doubling up of cleaning teams
- Hygiene shields at reception
- PPE for staff
- Multiple hand sanitiser stations on the gym floor
- Fully contactless entry, and transactions
