From a passer-by’s point of view, California Ripped Fitness seems (mostly) plucked from pre-pandemic times.
People walk in and out of the gym in San Jose, wearing workout leggings, shorts, and sneakers, and keep exercising despite state and state regulations prohibiting gyms from working indoors.
California Ripped has some acknowledgments of the reality of the pandemic – a mask requirement and materials to wipe equipment clean after use. It is unclear whether there are guidelines for social distance or capacity limits.
But the gym marches on and remains open despite more than $ 500,000 in fines and the threat of legal action from Santa Clara County. In fact, it makes his feelings about the province’s closure abundantly clear.
“We’re not saying there isn’t a virus, or we don’t believe it,” the gym’s manager said in an anonymous interview to Bay Area News Group, “but we do believe we can provide a place where people can be safe and secure. stay healthy – and also allow us to pay our bills and support them.
A sign photographed by the Bay Area News Group makes several claims about the opening of the gym protected by the First and Fifth Amendments.
“We protest that fitness clubs and exercise are essential,” reads a sign outside the gym.
The gym, which also has locations in Lincoln, Granite Bay and Roseville, has received dozens of complaints from the county since December, KTVU-TV reported, as the county returned to the purple low. (It was open in the months before, when the county was in the red low.)
While the gym owner told Bay Area News Group that the gym has not yet experienced any outbreaks, community members and public health officials have voiced concerns about the risks of defying state health guidelines during the pandemic.
“It’s a real shame that the business owner continues to violate the health officer’s order, while many other companies of a similar type are doing the right thing and protecting their customers,” Michael Balliet, the director of the Santa Clara County Department of Environmental Health told KTVU. . (A county representative did not immediately return a request for comment from SFGATE.)
Studies have repeatedly shown that gyms are ‘superspreader’ sites, even when measures are in place to protect visitors. In one case, at a Canadian gym, it was found that at least 60 people got COVID-19 despite distance requirements and other safety precautions.
As of Thursday, the province has reported more than 103,000 COVID-19 cases and 1,473 deaths, many of which occurred in the past three months.