AT LAST, the fitness industry has been given the green light to reopen its doors.
In a Wednesday morning interview with DZMM Teleradyo, Trade Secretary Mon Lopez made it official: the Inter-Agency Task Force for Emerging Diseases will allow gyms to reopen on August 1 in areas under general community quarantine, along with internet shops, tutorial centers, and drive-in cinemas.
“Nilabas namin yung rekomendasyon kahapon at napag-usapan din kagabi, kinonfirm naman nila yung mga ni-recommend ng DTI para po sa dahan-dahan, sa gradual reopening,” said Lopez.
The Department of Trade and Industry head also affirmed that these businesses will only be allowed to operate at 30 percent capacity.
This 30 percent rule, he added, can be further modified.
“Don’t worry: Katulad naman nung nangyari sa barbershop and dine-in restaurants, after a few weeks, kapag maganda ang compliance nila sa health protocol at sumusunod po sila doon, may allowance tayo na mag-iincrease din ang capacity to 50 percent,” Lopez said.
Previously, gyms were only allowed to operate in areas under modified general community quarantine.
COVID-19 has hit the fitness industry hard. Group workouts are, by their very nature, close-contact activities in enclosed spaces, and gyms have had to remain shuttered under the lockdown rules.
In conversations with Spin.ph, various stakeholders have communicated ways in which gyms can be allowed to reopen while still following health standards.
It’s been a week of reopenings in the sports and fitness field, which has had to remain dormant for the past few months because of the pandemic. Just last Monday, the Games and Amusements Board, Philippine Sports Commission, and Department of Health signed a joint administrative order allowing the resumption of basketball and soccer practices.
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