From Tuesday, gyms have been allowed to reopen at 50 per cent capacity but at least till Wednesday, managers of such facilities across the Salt Lake township said response had been lukewarm as patrons were still wary.
On Wednesday morning, there were around 20 people working out at Anytime Fitness Centre, near City Centre, but assistant manager Raja Nandi said membership was considerably lower than in pre-lockdown days.
“These intermittent closures are making it tough to run gyms as we have huge overhead costs,” he said. “At present we have around 500 members but are not allowing more than 40 people on the floor at a time. Despite being a reputed gym that follows safety precautions thoroughly, people are still wary to come.”
Anytime Fitness Centre opened to members from Tuesday. Snehal Sengupta
The BD Gym Fitness Hub, that is run by the local ward atop BD Market, has been getting seven or eight customers since reopening. “We have been operating at 50 per cent capacity ever since getting the first notice to reopen after the first lockdown. We had been allowing no more than 15 people per slot. The same rules continue now,” says manager-cum-trainer Suman Biswas.
They had shut down to senior citizens after the first lockdown. “Now the aged are free to come but no one is coming. We are also getting concerned calls about the fees. So long we would take fees on a monthly or quarterly basis but customers no longer want to go in for the latter in case another lockdown is called,” Biswas says. From February, they may remove the quarterly payment option altogether.
A trainer helps out at customer at Yogam The Fitness Club. Snehal Sengupta
Despite the challenges, Yogam The Fitness Club, near the City Centre petrol pump, has not cut down on its staff. Customers may be trickling in but they are working on group events and engaging workout modules to make them tag along.
“We already have all sorts of sanitisation equipment in place since the first lockdown. We are spraying disinfectant twice a day and housekeeping staff are wiping all equipment after use,” says owner Shikha Tiwari. “Still, several people are hesitant to walk in. We are running huge losses but cannot afford to shut down completely as then the entire investment would go down the drain.”
Rahul Dey, a trainer at Yogam, feels the shutdowns have taken a toll on his clients’ fitness regime. “It’s an uphill task getting people to even start working out these days. Add to that these intermittent offs and many have left or are reluctant to start working out again. My finances have also taken a hit as a result,” said Dey.
Moumita Guha, a member of the centre, is upset that she has gained several pounds during the shutdown. “I workout regularly and discontinuing even for a week takes a toll even if I try exercising at home. I fail to understand why the government always shuts down gyms first even as malls and restaurants are allowed to operate,” said Guha.
Yet to open
Not all gyms have reopened. Future Fit Gymnastics Academy, that has, among others, branches in Salt Lake’s JC Block and VIP Road’s Circle Club, is one such. “Most of our students are in the four to 14 age group and since they are yet to be vaccinated, we are not taking a chance,” says co-founder and director Vitika Banerjee.
Students are now working out through online classes, although Banerjee admits that only 30 to 40 per cent students migrate from offline to online every time a lockdown gets called. “The rest return when the gym reopens,” she says. “We are hoping this is a shorter wave and will take a call about reopening in the end of January.”
However the prolonged shutdowns of gyms and fitness centres in 2020 and 2021 have already forced the permanent closure of several gyms in Salt Lake. Several regular gym-goers as well as people who did not work out before have now shifted to riding bicycles or running in the parks in the evenings.
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