Bay Area Gym Stays Open to Defy COVID-19 Guidelines, Gets Hit with $550,000 Fine
February 5th, 2021Via: SF Gate:
From a passerby’s point of view, California Ripped Fitness looks (mostly) plucked out of pre-pandemic times.
People walk in and out of the San Jose gym, clad in workout leggings, shorts and sneakers, continuing to work out despite state and county regulations that prohibit gyms from operating indoors.
California Ripped has some acknowledgments of the realities of the pandemic — a mask requirement and materials to wipe down equipment after use. It is unclear if there are any social distancing guidelines or capacity limits.
But the gym marches on, remaining open despite more than $500,000 in fines and the threat of legal action by Santa Clara County. In fact, it makes its feelings about the county shutdown abundantly clear.
“We’re not saying that there’s no virus or we don’t believe it,” said the gym’s manager to Bay Area News Group in an anonymous interview, “but we do believe that we can provide a place where people can come safely and stay healthy — and also provide the ability for us to pay our bills and make a living.
