Please sign to tell Ohio Governor Mike DeWine to keep your gym, studio or fitness center open!

Ohio Gyms have been reopened as a part of the Responsible Restart Ohio plan since May 26th.  Responsible gym owners are in the business of promoting the health of their members, both mental and physical through regular physical activity.  This kind of active lifestyle is one of the most important habits to maintain in order to prevent chronic, preventable disease and early death.  It's especially important to maintain these healthy habits that promote a strong immune system in the times of Covid-19, as we've seen that overweight, obesity and other preventable conditions can significantly increase one's risk for poor health outcomes if they contract Covid-19.

Many Ohioans are members of gyms because they struggle to maintain these habits on their own, outside of a gym setting.  Their gym community provides them with the coaching, accountability and variety of equipment necessary to stay consistent and achieve their goals.  Their gym is being run responsibly and safely with respect to Covid-19.  Many of these folks were more comfortable returning to their gym before they returned to other everyday places or activities.  These folks believe that their gym has been a safe space, will continue to be a safe space through the winter and want their gym to be allowed to remain open.  Their gym is a place where they are practicing strong Covid-19 safety protocols. while also getting a safe and socially distanced encounter with their friends.  If they were to lose this safe and socially distanced social outlet then they are sure to increase other private social gatherings in order to fill that void in their lives, and those private gatherings are often not observing these safety guidelines.

Many Ohioans are employees within the fitness sector and depend upon the income from their gym jobs to sustain their livelihood.  These employees feel confident in the safety protocols established by their gyms and they have become expert at enforcing and promoting those protocols to keep members and themselves safe.  They want the right to continue to do what they love and earn a living, helping members maintain their wellness habits and lifestyle.

Many Ohioans are small gym owners that just want to do what is right for their members and the broader local community.  These gym owners are following all of the guidelines of the Responsible Restart Ohio plan, even making significant new investments in their facilities and PPE to promote this, especially as it relates to increased fresh air flow, employees wearing masks at all times, members wearing masks out in public when not engaging in intense exercise, reduced capacity for social distancing, spreading out equipment, no sharing of equipment, enhanced cleaning and disinfection of surfaces, promoting flu shots and hosting flu shot clinics, and member health screening and contact tracing.

Gym owners do not believe that the Ohio contact tracing data shows that gyms should be singled out more than other businesses or personal activities as one of the leading sources of community spread of Covid-19 in Ohio.  We believe any decisions made in regards to restricting gym and fitness center operations must be data driven, based on what the contact tracing has shown over the nearly 6 months that gyms have been reopened.  We believe that the Governor himself has been citing the contact tracing data as showing that the recent uptick in community spread is being driven predominantly by private social gatherings, not by Ohio small businesses, including gyms and fitness centers.

Many small businesses and fitness centers have already gone out of business or are far from recovering from the initial lock down or slower months since reopening at reduced capacities, and another lockdown would be a devastating blow to these small businesses and to the communities that they serve.  Many would not survive.

We ask Governor DeWine to keep our gyms and fitness centers open.  Gyms are not a significant source of outbreak or community spread and are essential to their members' mental and physical health, while promoting a safe and socially distanced social experience.