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Petition launched to reopen province's gyms, fitness centres

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For about a month back in the spring, Matthew Boux circulated a petition on change.org to get gyms and fitness centres reopened after they were forced to be shuttered under Phase One of the province’s Restoring Safe Services plan. The province eventually relented, allowing them to reopen under strict safety and hygiene restrictions.

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But now with the province under Red (Critical) under , gyms and fitness clubs were ordered closed Thursday after operating at 25% capacity in Winnipeg since Nov. 2. As a result, Boux reactivated his online petition to convince the government to reconsider its decision.

“I really didn’t think that it would have to be done again and I thought with how well we were doing in the summer that nothing was going to happen again,” said Boux, 20, whose petition points out how the closure of gyms and fitness centres in Manitoba has had a ‘very significant negative impact on mental and physical health of many community members around our province.’ “But obviously some people didn’t follow the rules – not at the gyms but in general – and it led to this increase in cases. My hope is that the province may reconsider this aspect at least.”

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As of Sunday, over 5,300 people had signed his petition.

“It has gained triple the number of signatures in the last week than it did the whole spring,” Boux said.

Winnipegger Matthew Boux has started a petition to convince the Manitoba government to allow gyms and fitness centres to reopen due to the important positive impact it has on mental and physical health. As of Sunday, over 5,300 people have signed his petition to get gyms reopened in Manitoba.
Winnipegger Matthew Boux has started a petition to convince the Manitoba government to allow gyms and fitness centres to reopen due to the important positive impact it has on mental and physical health. As of Sunday, over 5,300 people have signed his petition to get gyms reopened in Manitoba. Photo by Matthew Boux /Winnipeg Sun

Boux believes there are many misconceptions about the safety of gyms and fitness clubs in the province even though the vast majority of the owners seem to have been following the province’s strict guidelines.

Since September, there have only been four reported public exposures at fitness clubs in or around Winnipeg and Boux said none of them were believed to have been acquired at the clubs.

“It’s very important for our mental health as well as our physical health. We feel that they really shouldn’t be closed if there’s really not any transmission going on in them at all,” said Boux, who has written to Premier Brian Pallister, Health Minister Cameron Friesen and all of the MLAs to plead his case.

Boux is worried that many of the smaller gyms and fitness clubs – like the one where he works out, the Brickhouse Gym on King Edward – will not be able to survive a prolonged closure.

“I think based on what we’ve seen in Manitoba, I do believe (the benefits) outweigh the risks,” he said.

gdawkins@postmedia.com

Twitter: @SunGlenDawkins

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