Unlock 1.0 does not have any good news for gym owners who were pinning their hopes of getting relaxation after shutting down their operations for over two months.
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On Saturday, several gym owners from the city held a meeting to discuss about the measures to be followed anticipating relaxation from the government.
However, by the evening, their hopes were belied as the Centre did not lift curbs on them.
Many of them expressed their dissatisfaction as even shopping malls are allowed to open from June 8 while ignoring the need for health conscious people to have workouts at gyms.
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According to the gym owners, they are worried over their future due to heavy loss caused by the lockdown. Almost 90% of the gyms are working in rented buildings in the district, for which the gym owners are not able to pay rents. We are financially hit due to the lockdown and unable to pay rents, they said.
“We closed gyms on March 20 and even now, we are paying rents. I am paying ₹30,000 rent for gym place, apart from my house rent and other expenses. We gym owners also fear that the equipment will need repairs if they are not used properly,” said K. Ganesh, president, Visakha Gym Owners Welfare Association.
He said the government should pass an order directing owners not to collect rents from gym owners.