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Date Published: 18/10/2021

ARCHIVED - Gyms in Spain demand masks be removed during exercise

ARCHIVED ARTICLE

The Region of Murcia is the only community in Spain where mask-wearing isn’t mandatory while working out

<span style='color:#780948'>ARCHIVED</span> - Gyms in Spain demand masks be removed during exercise

Gyms throughout Spain have demanded that the central and regional governments remove the obligation for people using their indoor facilities to wear masks, as the practice is seriously hampering business. At the moment, the Region of Murcia is the only community to have already approved this measure, while Asturias, Navarra and Extremadura allow customers to remove their masks when practicing high-intensity sports.

According to the manager of the National Federation of Sports Facilities Employers (FNEID), Alberto García Chápuli, Spain is “the only country in Europe that continues to maintain the obligation to wear a mask in gyms.”

Gym owners are frustrated by the lack of clarity surrounding the measure; it is understood that masks must be worn while stretching, lifting weights or practicing yoga, for example, while they are not required during Zumba classes or while running on a treadmill.

The irony is that studies show that people who perform regular physical activity are eight times less likely to die from Covid, but gym membership has dwindled by 15% in recent months due to the obligation to wear a mask while exercising. In addition, according to Mr García, of all those admitted to intensive care suffering from serious cases of coronavirus, 80% were obese.

While the decision to eliminate masks in gyms can be taken by each autonomous community independently, as has been shown by Murcia, FNEID would like the central government and Ministry of Health to take a definitive stance on the matter, considering that the rate of infection in gyms has been practically non-existent (between 0.3% and 0.4%).

At the moment, the federation is forecasting a loss of between 25 and 40% for gyms across Spain by the end of 2021.

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