Rochester area gym owners calling on Cuomo to increase capacity to 50%

— Jeff Hamson (@ROC_NewsPhotog) February 26, 2021Gym owners say their facilities aren’t contributing to the spread of COVID-19 and many fear they’re about to go out of business.

Their message to Cuomo is very simple: They say gyms and fitness centers are safe, they have the data to back that up, and if they can’t increase capacity and let more people in, those who haven’t already gone bankrupt—will.

They say they know they can be safe at 75% or higher, but they’re only asking for 50% to 66% capacity.

They say with the current capacity restrictions they can’t be financially viable and won’t be able to survive much longer.

The NYSFA says only three locations throughout the state have been contacted through the state’s contact tracing efforts while tracking over 1 million visits and they see that as proof gyms and fitness centers are safe.

“If we don’t get an increase, at least on par with the other industries, and if we’re safer we should have a higher capacity, then it’s going to be very detrimental,” Jeff Sanders with the NYSFA said. “You’re going to see at some point businesses are going to stop running at a loss they’re going to run out of reserves and they’re going to have to close shop. We’ve already seen the impact so far. We need to get people in. We know we can do it safely.”

According to the NYSFA, across the country, more than 6,000 fitness centers have permanently closed, putting close to 1.4 million people out of a job.