New York is loosening some COVID-19 restrictions this week, signaling a step toward normalcy for a wide range of businesses. But for fitness studios such as Y7 Studio, Barry’s Bootcamp and Mile High Run Club that managed to endure a year of devastated sales, the fight for survival is hardly over, Bloomberg News reported. They must navigate fast-changing and confusing rules. New York has said fitness centers can operate at 50% capacity as of May 15, but also says that, as of Wednesday, it is not basing capacity limits for businesses on a percentage of maximum occupancy, but rather on how many people can fit in a space while staying six feet apart. For small-format workout facilities, that might not be much of a reprieve. Meanwhile, these operators face delicate decisions about what masking rules to enforce at their businesses now that state mandates have eased. Many are finding it difficult to rehire and retrain instructors to adequately staff a full schedule. And none of them know how eager customers will be to return, given lingering virus fears and the possibility that last year’s at-home exercise routines turn out to have staying power.
