Protesters demanding that gyms be kept open in England have driven a tank to the Houses of Parliament. The stunt was carried out by 'Grenade', a fitness company who were angered that gyms have been instructed to shut down as part of England's anti-CoVid19 lockdown, the second full-scale lockdown the country has experienced. The other nations of the UK, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own lockdown procedures in place dictated by their own governments.
Some gym owners are arguing that gyms should be exempt from lockdown as they are vital for people's physical and mental health. However, others including senior scientists advising the government, have said that gyms pose a real risk of spreading CoVid-19 as people are touching equipment others have used and breathing in and out deeply in enclosed spaces used by hundreds of people daily. There is also the issue of people travelling on public transport to get to the gyms when they should really be staying at home trying to stop the spread of the virus.
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"This isn't just 'another sector'. It directly supports our health and mental and physical wellbeing - the latter particularly important with mental health charity Mind detailing it could well be 'the greatest test of our mental health this year'. We agree unreservedly. With fitness well documented for its restorative effects in reducing stress, anxiety and depression, it's imperative that people can continue to exercise regularly over the winter months."
Some gym owners have even claimed that gyms prevent suicides and mental-health problems, this problem remains tiny compared to the risk from CoVid-19. Around 6,000 suicides occur each year in the UK and only a tiny proportion of them could seriously be stopped by going to the gym according to psychologists. So far, in the UK, 60,000 people have died of CoVid-19 and another 90,000 could be expected to die over winter without any further lockdown. Someone contracting the virus in the gym can then spread it on to vulnerable people who are more likely to die or start a whole new cluster of infections.
The lockdown itself is only expected to last around 4 weeks, with the chance of a small extension. It seems, therefore, unreasonable that people can't go for a run in the park for example, instead of going to a gym which could in turn cause the deaths of others.
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