Coronavirus: growing gym cluster leaves embattled Hong Kong fitness industry licking its wounds
- Some 99 infected people – including customers, staff and close contacts – have been linked to the Ursus Fitness Centre outbreak
- Fitness centres respond by carrying out deep cleaning, virus screening and temporarily banning users and trainers who frequent more than one gym
A rapidly expanding cluster of Covid-19 infections linked to a Hong Kong gym has left many people in the city’s embattled fitness industry shell-shocked as they come to terms with public shaming for failing to enforce mandatory mask-wearing.
Last Thursday, finance worker James Holmes went to a gym and saw some customers not wearing masks during their workout.
“Not all the people had a mask on all of the time, but I kept mine on,” the 38-year-old recalled. He also said he did not see any clear signage on the premises reminding patrons to take certain precautions while working out.
As of Saturday, 99 infected people – including customers, staff and close contacts – were linked to the outbreak involving Ursus Fitness Centre in Sai Ying Pun. The cluster has since spilled over to several other gym brands and fitness centres.
In response to the outbreak, the government on Thursday made masks mandatory in gyms. On Friday, authorities ordered all fitness industry workers to undergo mandatory testing by Sunday.