Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic the fitness community has followed Public Health orders without question. We have obeyed vaccination requirements, mask mandates, and reduced capacity measures. Earlier today, Health Minister Adrian Dix and Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry made the unilateral decision to close gyms until January 18, 2022, rather than consider alternative options.

It makes little sense why people can still be crowded into large sports arenas or movie theaters, but are not allowed to participate in socially distanced exercise in a gym. If businesses have to adopt capacity limits in order to remain open, why can't fitness centres be granted this same opportunity? Fitness centres already have the systems in place to go back to the reduced capacities from last year, including arranged bookings and distanced machines to prevent the spread of the virus. There is no reason why these practices cannot resume, especially since they are acceptable in venues with more people inside and far more opportunities for the virus to spread.

This doesn't even consider that many people in this province use fitness centres not only as a form of exercise, but also to improve their mental health. This pandemic has caused physical, financial, and emotional stress to all across the globe. People are tired. Fitness centres are one of the few places remaining where people have the opportunity to unwind and try to maintain a healthy mental state during this challenging time.

We call on Premier John Horgan, Health Minister Adrian Dix and Dr. Bonnie Henry to allow fitness centres to remain open, albeit with additional restrictions to fight this latest wave of cases. The decision to close fitness centres without consideration for any sort of additional options is both erroneous and a disservice to the community that has obeyed the Provincial Health orders without pause. Rather than a knee-jerk reaction, the province should work with the industry to explore alternative measures. Being healthy is our best defence against COVID-19 and it's time for our provincial government to recognize that.