What are your honest opinions on this? I am interested to hear as I am obviously biased being a gym owner myself. Comment below what you think about pubs opening before gyms.
I think it is an absolute disgrace that the UK and Scottish government have decided that opening pubs before gyms is a good idea. It is an undeniable fact that improving your fitness helps improve your immune system and that being overweight or obese, which over 50% of the uk population are, is an underlying health condition that makes covid-19 more dangerous. Surely getting gyms open in a safe way should be the priority over pubs! Or at the very least open them at the same time.
So from July 15th it will be perfectly ok to go to a bar in Aberdeen to socialise and drink alcohol with your friends, but illegal for us to open our private, by appointment only, 1-1 small personal training gym. Completely disgraceful and totally unfair on the hundreds of independent gym owners like myself who have played by the rules throughout this whole lockdown.
Many of whom (myself include) are ltd company directors who have received no financial support from the government.
I cannot see how a gym with strict cleaning and distancing measures in place is going to be higher risk than a pub where people go to socialise while also getting intoxicated which will likely lead to less compliance and awareness of social distancing etc.
Unless they are planning on keeping gyms closed until there is a nation wide mandatory vaccine, I feel they should just get them open. The NHS is coping extremely well and has done throughout the whole pandemic and if individuals aren’t comfortable going to the gym, which is fair and understandable for higher risk individuals, they can avoid them.
I am hopeful that the government listens to the backlash of criticism they are receiving from the fitness industry and see some sense.
I am all for doing what is right and try to be politically correct as much as possible but this decision is a disgrace.