New Covid rules ‘compromise our chances of survival’ say Dubai fitness bosses

The new measures, announced on January 22 by the Dubai Economy and Dubai Sports Council, stipulates a 3-metre distance between gym users instead of two.

For small gyms who barely survived the months of complete shutdown last year as part of the coronavirus safety measures, this comes as almost the final blow, said Dylan Eiffe, co-founder of Bare DXB, a boutique fitness space which provides a single specialised workout routine.

“Our business model is based upon attracting a large group to work out together in a shared space for us to achieve our top line. The big groups also create that Bare ‘vibe’, the fun inspiring group atmosphere we base our success upon,” said Eiffe.

“Therefore, these recent restrictions are nothing but bad news for us. It directly hurts our business and compromises our chances of surviving coronavirus when so many fitness businesses have been forced to close permanently,” he added.

With the recent rise in coronavirus cases, however, businesses across Dubai have said they appreciate the need for tighter restrictions. The fitness industry is no exception.

“At Bare, we constantly control the flow of our clients with no sharing of equipment or spaces. However, we see numerous other gyms acting irresponsibly, which is compromising the reputation of our industry,” said Eiffe.

“Dubai won’t have the resources to apply tailored rules on a case-by-case basis, so we appreciate that a blanket approach may be needed,” added Tjaart Gray, co-owner of Bare DXB.

Earlier this week, Dubai Economy shut down two bodybuilding centres in partnership with the Dubai Sports Council and issued 13 fines after various violations were detected during inspections.

“Many western countries have closed fitness concepts altogether, so we are hugely grateful we remain open. Dubai doesn’t have the welfare system across its inhabitants compared with some other countries, and without opening up the economy, there would have been considerable suffering,” said Gray.

The restrictions on the fitness industry come in as Dubai increases its efforts to control the spread of coronavirus.

Last Friday, the Supreme Committee of Crisis and Disaster Management, announced new rules that increase the separation distance between tables at Dubai’s restaurants and cafes from two metres to three metres, and reduce the number of people allowed to sit at one table from 10 to seven at restaurants and to four at cafes, effective immediately.

The rules also limit attendance of weddings, social events, and private parties to first-degree relatives totalling a maximum of 10 people only, whether at a hotel or at home. This was effective from Wednesday.

On Thursday, the Ministry of Health announced 3,966 new cases, a new daily record for the UAE.