Gyms argue they’re not contributing to high COVID numbers

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — Albany County Executive Dan McCoy said orange zone restrictions could be on the horizon if COVID cases don’t lower. That means gyms will be forced to shut down.

The orange zone is a part of Governor Andrew Cuomo’s micro-cluster strategy. It requires 10 days of the percentage of positive cases, for a seven-day rolling average, to be more than four percent. Albany County is on day three of meeting those metrics.

“As we keep going forward, I hope that Governor Cuomo really takes a look at the stats and takes a look at what he really values as essential,” said Fitness Director of Best Fitness Fuller Road Colin Lukacs.

Governor Cuomo seemingly agreed that small gatherings rather than gyms and restaurants are the cause of rising cases at a press briefing today.

“You are seeing a reduction in the cases in nail salons and gyms because the social behavior has changed,” Cuomo said.

At Best Fitness they’ve seen about a 55 percent reduction in return customers since being shut down in mid-March.

“Things are getting worse as far as the Coronavirus goes. So our main focus needs to be what we can control,” Lukacs said.

For Lukacs that means making sure the workout equipment is sanitized and customers are abiding by the rules.