OpinionWhat is the government’s plan if a fourth Covid-19 wave hits gyms and fitness industry?

After nearly two months, gyms and fitness studios were given a lifeline on September 4 when they were allowed to reopen

Owners now worry the government is ill-prepared for a potential fourth wave and could shut them down once again

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What is the government’s plan for a fourth wave of Covid-19 for the fitness industry? Nora Tam

Published: 8:00am, 8 Oct 2020Updated: 12:55pm, 8 Oct 2020

For many Hongkongers, September 4 felt like a gift from heaven.

After nearly two months, gyms, fitness studios and yoga rooms opened and workout classes resumed. At one point during the second wave of the coronavirus, Hongkongers were forced outdoors to exercise, required to wear a mask in the hottest months of the year, only to find public activity equipment taped off, running routes patrolled by police and beaches shut.

Police were reported making the rounds on hiking trails, handing out fines for breaking the two-person limit and for not wearing masks in what felt like an attack on the last bastion of fitness in the city.

It seemed as if officials were doing everything in their power to ban working out when, in fact, it was simply a casualty of a government which has proven more than willing to strangle the local economy to fight Covid-19. To some, this is a necessary evil in a global pandemic, while others question locking down people’s lives and forcing them to adapt to various restrictions with no indication of when they may return to normal.

Sporting facilities have been hard hit during the pandemic. Photo: Germagic

In April, after the first closure, a number of gyms were given a HK$100,000 subsidy grant, but for most it barely covered a month’s rent during a time where revenue had basically flatlined. Gyms owners were forced to shut their doors, many permanently.