They can heave a sigh of relief now that it has been announced gyms and certain other sporting facilities can open from today, but they are still hoping certain restrictions, like the closure of changing and shower rooms, may be reconsidered.
In a statement, the Coalition of Fitness Industry Owners & Operators in Malaysia said results from a survey it conducted of 235 businesses last month showed the impact of repeated closures on the industry.
Nearly half of the respondents reported losing over 40% of their members, with another third estimating they had lost between 21-40% of their clients.
Another 82% said that their profits had dropped by more than 30%, with a large portion of those reporting losses over 70%
More than a third said they had already begun cutting staff, and 80% of those surveyed said they would run out of cash reserves by May.
While relieved that they would be allowed to reopen, members of the coalition said they hoped some of the conditions could be reconsidered.
On the closure of changing rooms and showers, Level Up Fitness founder Kenny Sia said that “at a time when personal hygiene considerations should be at its peak, we feel not allowing people to use changing rooms and shower facilities is counter-productive.”
Before the implementation of the latest movement control order (MCO), a number of cases linked to changing rooms, particularly at golf clubs, had been reported.
In order to promote social distancing, group classes will remain prohibited, which CrossFitLah founder James Putnam said would be the “ultimate death knell” for those that rely on the format.
“Not allowing group classes effectively removes our control and ability to ensure strict compliance with the SOPs. When we run group classes we can manage exactly what the attendees will be doing, what equipment they will use, when they will do it, and where they will do it,” Putnam said.
The coalition added that with very few cases linked to gyms prior to the MCO, the additional restrictions are not needed.
“We respectfully appeal for our feedback above to be taken into consideration, to help us secure the long-term viability of our industry, and prevent the imminent hardship of job losses and the consequential impacts of such,” the coalition said.