How Covid-19 Affects the Fitness Industry
It’s shocking how something so small — microscopic, even — can alter the course of WORLD history.
The World Health Organization has recently declared COVID19 a PANDEMIC.
A pandemic means that this disease has gone global and out of control, something that we have feared. Compared to an epidemic (country-wide spread) and an outbreak (community-wide spread), a pandemic is sustained in some of the newly affected regions by local transmission.
A lot of industries are directly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic including the Travel Industry, Events Industry, and Hospitality Industry. In a domino effect, the stock market was also affected, with tech giants Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Google declining nearly 20 percent.
The fitness industry is also affected. In some cities here in the US, gyms and fitness centers have closed in compliance with government measures to prevent the further spread of COVID 19. Here’s a partial list from foxnews.com:
- 24 Hour Fitness: All 430+ clubs in 14 states are temporarily closed
- Equinox: All 300 Equinox club locations and showrooms are temporarily closed. Memberships will be put on freeze-mode at no cost.
- Gold’s Gym: 400+ locations across the country are temporarily closed, tentatively until March 31.
- LA Fitness: To help “flatten the curve” of COVID-19, LA Fitness closed 600+ facilities as of March 16, until “at least” April 1.
In cities where gyms and fitness centers still remain open, sanitation of equipment and facilities are being done more frequently to protect patrons and employees.
Perhaps another shocking turn of events is the recent news that numerous professional athletes, coaches, and sports personalities have tested positive for COVID 19.
Here’s a list of the sports figures that have been diagnosed with coronavirus, based on CBSSports.com:
- Daniele Rugani, Juventus defender
- Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz center
- Mikel Arteta, Arsenal manager
- Donovan Mitchell, Utah Jazz guard
- Callum Hudson-Odoi, Chelsea winger
- Trey Thompkins, Real Madrid power forward
- Dusan Vlahovic, Fiorentina striker
- Christian Wood, Detroit Pistons forward
- Unnamed Seattle Dragons (XFL) player
- Chris Kielsmeier, Cleveland State women’s basketball coach.
- German Pezzella, Fiorentina defender.
- Unnamed New York Yankees minor-league player.
- Jorge Jesus, Flamengo manager.
- Patrick Cutrone, Fiorentina striker.
- Kozo Tashima, Japan Olympic Committee deputy chief.
- Unnamed New York Yankees minor-league player.
- Kevin Durant and three other unnamed players on the Brooklyn Nets.
Also, to prevent mass gathering (and further spreading of disease), various sporting events are also canceled. CBSSports.com provides an updated list:
- NBA: The NBA suspended the regular season indefinitely on March 11. League owners want commissioner Adam SIlver to reevaluate the situation after 30 days.
- MLB: Major League Baseball will not start the 2020 season until at least mid-May, commissioner Rob Manfred announced Monday, March 16.
- NHL: The NHL announced on March 12 that it is pausing the 2019-20 season, effective immediately.
- College Basketball: The NCAA canceled the 2020 Division I men’s and women’s basketball tournaments, along with all other winter season championship events.
- Summer Olympics: A decision to cancel or postpone the games could be made as late as May
If you’re a gym owner, what can you do?
If you are fortunate to be in a city where gyms and fitness centers are allowed to open, you can give more value to your clients by keeping them informed, posting reminders to wash hands before and after workouts, and frequent sanitizing of equipment.
If you’re a member of a fitness club, what can you do?
First of all, protect yourself consistently by washing hands, especially when coming into contact with things that other people have touched. It is also advised to prevent touching your eyes and nose with your hands. Finally, you can optimize your immune system by taking supplements or natural immune-system boosting foods.
You can also do your part to prevent the spread of disease by wearing a mask, immediately seeking help and self-quarantine when you feel ill.
If you live in a city where gyms and other establishments are required to close, you can still do some fitness routines at home. INEVIFIT has some excellent workout suggestions here.
To sum it up: The COVID-19 pandemic presents huge challenges across numerous industries around the world, including the fitness industry. No one is invincible, even big names in the sports industry was able to contract the disease. But there is hope. We’ll get over this. By boosting our immune system, making better health practices, and social distancing, we can overcome this.
Resources:
https://www.wired.com/story/covid-19-spreads-listen-stock-market/
