BradfordToday received the following letter from a reader regarding Ontario’s decision to not permit gyms to operate in Ontario’s 2nd stage of reopening:
Ms. Mulroney,
I hope this letter finds you well, my name is Lenayah Foster and I am a current resident of Bradford, Ontario. The reason why I am writing you today is, I am currently a member at GoodLife Fitness.
Myself, as well as many other members and employees, were very discouraged and frustrated to hear that fitness facilities would not be opening until the 3rd stage of Ontario’s re-opening plan, which I think is completely bogus.
How is it fair that, in the coming weeks, Ontario citizens will be allowed to enter personal care facilities and malls but they will not be allowed to enter a gym? Is the mental health and well being of citizens not important to you? Do you not care that over 8,000 individuals are without their jobs and cannot afford to support their own families? I find this to be a complete joke.
In fact, why weren’t gyms allowed to stay open during this so called “Pandemic”? When gyms in Ontario were allowed to be open during that short duration of time last year, I observed, firsthand, that gyms were kept a lot cleaner than grocery and department stores. Yet they weren’t allowed to remain open!
Employees at GoodLife Fitness were constantly wiping and sanitizing equipment after each use. I never once witnessed an employee at any grocery store sanitizing.
Individuals do not attend fitness facilities to just workout and lift a few weights. Individuals attend gyms to better themselves, not only physically, but mentally as well. You have no idea what some individuals are going though on a daily basis. A lot of people use exercise as a way to escape and deal with stress, anxiety and depression.
You, and your government have taken that all away from us. So much so that now there are even more deaths from suicide than “COVID”. Something has got to change. Which is why I am standing up for myself as well as all the other individuals in the fitness community.
We as a community would appreciate it if you could please take this thought into serious consideration.
Sincerely,
Lenayah Foster, Bradford
