When it comes to gyms, the rules are not the same across the board

BOSTON — When it comes to gyms the rules are not the same across the board. Closed in some places, limited capacity in others. The goal is to stop the spread, but we found if people want to work out, they’re going to do it even if that means traveling from a high-risk area.

We walked around the LA fitness in East Walpole parking lot, for example, and most of the cars were from Massachusetts. Most people lived nearby, but we did see a couple of license plates from Rhode Island. That state just opened their gyms back up Monday. We also heard of some people traveling here from places where gyms are closed like Boston or Somerville.

“Obviously not as many people come back but it still crowded and everything,” said Norwood resident Sabrina Tarara.

“There’s maybe a little bit more waiting,” said Canton resident Vazhh Moussavi.

Crowded gyms with capacity at only 40 percent, now will have to get ready to go down to 25 percent starting on Saturday, Dec. 26, when seating capacity limits will be lowered, said Gov. Charlie Baker.

“I kind of wonder if there will be a point where it becomes too cumbersome, but we will see,” said Moussavi.

To make the already competitive gym visit even more cumbersome, some, members are also competing with people from other towns.

“More people started coming from other places into the gym and my friends noticed that they were more people with the Rhode Island license plates,” said Moussavi.

“I’m seeing that a lot. I talked to a lot of other gym owners in the area and it does seem that way and it seems like gyms in neighboring cities and towns are seeing the influx of people,” said Thomas Regan, owner of Regan’s Motivated Fitness who has been keeping customers through Instagram live workout sessions since gyms in Boston are closed for the next couple of weeks.

“So in closing that gym in the city of Boston, it’s almost encouraging them to travel outside of their comfort zone that had been working for them. So it’s almost creating more problems than it’s creating any solutions. People are traveling to gyms that are open in other towns and cities,” said Regan. “So just let them go to the gyms that were working in the gyms that weren’t getting any positive transmissions and let us try to survive like the rest of the small businesses in the city.”

“It’s not my gym, it is not here is not there. And there’s really no way of telling that to be true number one and number two it’s about coming down in activity,” said Mayor Marty Walsh.

“I don’t like that especially during the winter and everything,” said Tarara. “We need the gym, we need to get away and everything so I don’t think it’s healthy for people to not be able to go to the gym.”

Mayor Walsh says even if gym’s in Boston can reopen on January 6th, they will also be at 25 percent rather than the 40 percent that they were at before the most recent closure.

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