California is the only state in the entire country that has yet to reopen indoor gyms. Governor Newsom has chosen to keep the doors of Costco, Best Buy, and countless other retailers wide open since the beginning of the Pandemic, yet is oddly selective about gyms.
Newsom seems to completely ignore the importance of exercise in maintaining a healthy lifestyle amid the pandemic. Somehow getting a manicure and pedicure inside a nail salon is safer than exercise indoors, at least in the governor’s eyes.
According to a report from Emicity research, 62% of families in California do not have safe places to exercise outdoors. These people generally live in neighborhoods where the family income is below $75,000. Without access to a safe space to exercise, individuals are more susceptible to health risks such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol.
According to the CDC, 42% of American adults are obese. Exercise has proven to reduce obesity and plays a large role in fighting COVID-19, as there is a direct correlation between obesity and COVID-19 related complications. Not only is exercise important for physical reasons, but it also helps support mental health. The rates of both physical and mental health issues have been sharply increasing during the pandemic, and unjustified gym closures are likely to be playing a large part in that.
Keeping gyms closed may make sense if there was some data to back up the decision, but Newsom hasn’t provided any and every other state has allowed gyms to reopen already.
The state’s Supreme Court has suggested that the state become more transparent with the data it is using, as people having access to the information is pertinent to affirm that government officials are being honest and working with integrity.
Newsom’s closure of gyms, with absolutely no justification, is yet another example of how he has failed the state. It is not much of a surprise that the recall campaign against him has exceeded the 1.5M required signatures.
Photo by Dr. Scott Cheatham
