Local 24-hour gyms are being forced to operate on limited hours after a government directive that a ‘Covid marshal’ must be present at all times.
The main lure of a 24-hour gym for most is that it can be accessed at any time, but for Ocean Grove’s Oceans24 gym it’s not viable to have a ‘Covid marshal’ present 24 hours a day.
Oceans24’s Mark Rapa said the state government is “treating our industry like we are the virus”.
Mr Rapa said his clients have been diligent in adhering to the sanitising and social distancing rules and said the risk of COVID-19 transmission was minimal.
“People are actively cleaning because they want to be here,” he said.
“They’ve been very proactive to the point where I was watching on my cameras (before the last lockdown) and they were doing everything even when I wasn’t here.
“We’ve got great contact tracing because people swipe in, we’ve got cameras, we’ve got email addresses and phone numbers so if anything happens in here, it’s pretty much foolproof.
“I get on my cameras at night and there was one guy, 11 o’clock at night before the last lockdown, he was the only one in here. By himself, he’s got a mask on and he finished a piece of equipment and was washing it and cleaning it. He was the only one here and was still doing everything he was supposed to do.”
Mr Rapa said while the state government had allowed gyms to reopen, it was “all half-cocked”.
“They’ve made it really difficult for us,” he said.
“They’ve ignored us all along. I’ve lost a lot of my staff. The whole landscape has changed.
They’ve supported us financially, but we’ve been closed longer than anyone. They’ve also supported other industries financially, but some have also been trading all the way through.
“I don’t think it’s a level playing field. We were making no income getting the same support as businesses who have been getting income. I’m not holding it against them, I’m happy for them, but they have to look after our industry a bit better especially when we have been closed for so long.
“Now that we have reopened they want us to reduce our hours or employ more people but we haven’t made any money.”
Mr Rapa said the gym was often more than just a place to exercise.
“A lot of people have said to me they’ve been struggling, especially those that live alone,” he said.
“This is sometimes their only point of social contact. First thing in the morning they come in and have their chat, work out, have their coffee and head home.
“This is all they’ve got. I have rehab patients and stroke victims that can’t get here.”
