Both direct and indirect personal attacks are subject to removal and/or banning at the Mod’s discretion. Expressing controversial opinions is not toxic behavior. No personal attacks on other Reddit users or private individuals. Rulesįollow reddiquette - Follow reddiquette and all site wide rules. As sunlight hours become scarcer, they fear many clients won’t show up for frigid and dark early morning or evening classes.News and happenings in and around Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. On social media, many onlookers mocked the workout-slash-protest, as proving that gyms could in fact run classes safely outside. Even when allowed to open, gyms have only been bringing in 30-50% of pre-COVID revenues, far short of levels the coalition says it needs to break even in many cases. Some of the fitness studios received PPP loans from the federal government earlier in the pandemic, but with no agreement from Congress and the White House since April, new money has not flowed to individuals or businesses in need. The group supports a national bailout for gyms through the National Health & Fitness Recovery Act. Republican leaders and the governor opted instead to use the money to prop up the state budget, using funds to cover expenses related to first responders. Many Democrats had been advocating for those funds to be used to help struggling businesses. There had been $1.3 billion dollars in unspent federal coronavirus relief aid tied up in Harrisburg for months. They want fitness centers to be named “essential” businesses and new city- and state-funded business grants, among other asks. The group has circulated a list of demands where their petition has more than 3,000 signatures. Several gym owners said they have met with Philadelphia city councilmembers to air their concerns, and they are also communicating with the offices of U.S. Without increased federal aid for businesses, he said, coronavirus protections must be balanced against the state’s “very fragile economy.” Tom Wolf announced new measures to enforce existing mitigation efforts on Monday, including firmer enforcement of mask wearing, but stopped short of closing down businesses again. There are currently more than 3,000 people hospitalized for coronavirus in Pennsylvania, higher than at any point during the prior peak in the spring. Philadelphia imposed new restrictions as COVID-19 cases surged around the region and country. It argued that reducing occupancy thresholds at these places can keep cases down without resorting to full-scale lockdowns.Ībout 25 fitness enthusiasts participate in a protest workout at Thomas Paine Plaza to support gym owners who have been shut down by the coronavirus pandemic. However, “there’s room for judgment in all of this,” continued Farley.Ī study published earlier this month in the journal Nature found that indoor activity at restaurants, gyms, cafes, hotels and religious centers had unsafe rates of transmission during the spring wave. Some of that information came via conversations with contact tracers, as well as studies from other cities and countries, which show the coronavirus spreads in indoor settings where people are not wearing masks. When announcing the new guidelines, Philadelphia Health Commissioner Thomas Farley said the closures were based on “the best data available to us.” 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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