‘We’re devastated’: Local gym owners cry foul over Stage 2 closure

By: Mike Anderson

Small-gym owners in Georgina are upset they are being forced to close as York Region returns to a modified Stage 2 lockdown for 28 days.

They also can’t understand why the province is allowing dance and martial arts studios to remain open while their gyms are targeted for closure, especially after implementing Covid-19 protocols and enhanced safety measures, including limiting the number of clients in the gym, mandatory mask-wearing, when clients are not engaged in exercise, and regular cleaning and sanitization.

“We worked so hard to get ready and go above and beyond the protocols,” said Robin Smith, the owner of 24/7 NGR Fitness in Keswick, which was the subject of a random check conducted by public health after reopening on July 24.

“We passed with flying colours, and the inspector even said you guys are doing more than you need to do,” she said.

Ms. Smith, whose business is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2020, also said her customers were doing their best to adhere to the strict protocols.

“Our clients were amazing. People were cleaning everything. Wearing their masks, unless they were engaged in physical activity, and just so respectful of everything,” she said.

“So to go backwards when we’ve done so well is quite disheartening.”

Lisa Leask, who owns Back2Basics Fitness and Health in Baldwin, is also upset about having to close again, especially after spending more than $100,000 renovating her new gym last September.

“We’re devastated,” said Ms. Leask, who had also implemented enhanced COVID-19 protocols, including handing out personal sanitization kits to clients.

“The first time we got shut down, it was supposed to be temporary, and it was five months.”

While Ms. Leask tried to survive by offering online zoom classes and renting out fitness equipment, she said it was barely getting them by.

“By the time we opened again, we ended up with about a third of our members back. It felt like we were starting from scratch again.”

Ms. Smith also said the first closure severely impacted her business, which lost more than 70 per cent of its clientele.

“We hadn’t recovered by a long shot from the four months we were locked down. Now, this closure puts us down to zero revenue again.”

She estimates that once her gym is allowed to reopen again, it will take more than 18 months to recoup her losses.

“We’ve lost a lot of customers. So, I’m going to ask all my clients when they come back to bring their friends.”

Ms. Smith is also launching a new virtual gym, which she hopes will attract new clients, allowing them to do workouts at home. But she admits it’s an uphill battle.

“We’re losing people because they’re not comfortable coming back to the gym, or they’ve lost their jobs. And this isn’t where they can justify spending their money,” she said.

“Like any business owner, we’re always planning for the future, and the future is so unknown.”

Both gym owners believe Georgina should not be lumped together with the rest of York Region, as the Town has only two active cases and a positivity rating of zero, while the region has 701 active cases and a positivity rating of 4.0.

“When you look at York Region, the southern part, Markham and Vaughan, is where the numbers are. So we should look at the southern part of York Region and the northern part separately,” Ms. Smith said.

“We already have the term N6 for the six northern municipalities in York Region. So we know there already is a line. So why couldn’t we consider that line for this closure?”

“I understand that we need to be safe,” she added.

“But we are following the protocols, and our population density is so different. And the gyms in Georgina are all privately owned, and the owners are involved in the day to day operations, making sure that everything is being followed and is safe.”

While gyms in Georgina somehow managed to survive the first lockdown, it’s not clear they will be able to survive another.

“In northern York Region, we are being punished for what’s happening in Vaughan and Markham,” Ms. Leask said.

“We’ve got 28 days to get through; I hope it only remains 28 days. And I can keep people motivated to keep our doors open. “