Footfall rises at gyms 5 days after reopening, more centres in Kolkata open doors to patrons

KOLKATA: Following the steady increase in footfall at several city gyms last week, more gymnasiums and yoga centres threw their doors open to patrons by the weekend.
A sizeable number of gyms in the city had reopened on January 19 after the state government issued Covid guidelines. The guidelines called for spacing of equipment and individuals in gyms at least six feet apart, mandatory check of vaccination and infection status of members, smaller slots for patrons and redesigning the floor area to reserve 4sqm for each client.
While several gyms reopened for business acting upon the guidelines, there were also many who waited to assess the response of members in the first week before resuming business.
“We had started with barely 25% of patrons. By this week, it has shot up to around 50%. It is extremely encouraging given the fact that almost every family has suffered because of the third wave which calls for further need of activities to rebuild immunity. Every member has had to change his/her workout style to adjust to the pandemic situation. The steady growth in numbers is encouraging other gyms to start following the revised Covid protocols,” said Gagan Sachdev, owner of Karma Fitness Studio and a representative of the West Bengal Gym owners’ Forum.
The state government had instructed gyms to shut down from January 3 following a spurt in Covid numbers. The decision had led to large scale demonstrations from gym owners and trainers across Bengal, following which state government in a fresh relaxation order, allowed gyms to reopen with 50% of the capacity till 9pm, provided all the staff and members are vaccinated and Covid negative.
“As the gyms reopened, members took time to assess the situation and have only started returning to gyms from this week. We are checking the vaccination status and infection status of every individual before letting them in. We have also dedicated an hour in the afternoon for thorough sanitization of the entire gym premises,” said Rupam Chakraborty, a fitness expert.
Fitness enthusiasts were also happy. “Covid left me drained and I lost a sizeable amount of muscles. I have also grown a visible pot belly. When gyms opened, I still took a couple of days to take stock of the situation before I finally returned to my training from Saturday and I love every bit of sweating it out,” said Souvick Basu, a techie.