Label volunteer writer Ada Ughanwa discusses whether gyms should have stayed open during Lockdown 2.0.
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Now that a second lockdown has been announced everything has shut once again, including our much-loved places of fitness such as gyms and leisure centres. Some argue that gyms should be open while others agree for it to be shut. Where do we draw a line in this argument?
On the one hand, I am a gym user so I completely understand why people would want gyms to be open, it helps us to maintain good physical health as well as mental health relieving us of our stresses from the day. It’s also a source of joy and wellbeing for some of us, it’s somewhere we look forward to going to; especially if we have fitness goals that we want to achieve. It allows us to offload from life and sort of zone out for a short period of time, allowing us to gain a sense of peace from our hectic life.
However, like anything in life, there are always two sides to the coin, some may argue, and I also agree, that gyms could escalate the spread of COVID 19 due to the humid environment and germs and bacteria thriving on all the gym equipment. Although you could counter this argument with the increased cleanliness in gyms such as the distribution of disinfectant wipes and antiviral sprays being located at nearby work-out stations, not everyone makes use of them let alone, wipes down the gym equipment properly.
I know at my gym (Pure Gym) they have put in place extra measures to keep us safe but, not everyone has been following the guidance which could lead to an increase in the spread of the virus thus, a rise in cases. But, once again and rightly so, winter and isolation aren’t a good match for each other, so, people must be able to leave their homes to participate in some form of exercise and even go as far as to say entertainment.
I believe if gyms were to be reconsidered and were given a chance to open, the gym owners would have to significantly reduce the number of gym-goers that they let in at once to contain the virus. I think that the government has made the right decision to keep them shut and that people should engage in home workouts in the meantime; like what was seen in the previous lockdown and do outdoor exercise when and, if need be. After all, it’s only for a month, so surely, it’s not too much of an ask from the public, right?
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Header by Christos Alamaniotis – Deputy Head of Design
Edited by Izzie Naish – News Editor
