Gym owner warns Cuomo COVID curfew could increase risk of potential exposure
Under the order, gyms and fitness centers are required to close from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. daily starting Friday.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is implementing a new COVID-19 curfew on bars, restaurants, gyms and residential gatherings in an effort to stop a spike in cases in the state.
According to the order, bars, restaurants and gym and fitness centers, will be required to close from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. daily starting Friday. Restaurants will still be allowed to provide curbside, food-only pick-up or delivery after 10 p.m., but will not be permitted to serve alcohol to go.
In addition, indoor and outdoor gatherings at private residences will be limited to no more than 10 people. The state says the limit will be implemented due to "the recent prevalence of COVID spread resulting from small indoor gatherings including Halloween parties" which officials cite as a "major cause of cluster activity across the state."
"If you look at where the cases are coming from, if you do the contact tracing, you'll see they're coming from three main areas: establishments where alcohol is served, gyms, and indoor gatherings at private homes," Cuomo said in a press release. "The reason we have been successful in reducing the spread in New York is we have been a step ahead of COVID. You know where it's going; stop it before it gets there. And you know where it's going by following the science."
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Anthony Preischel, owner of Crossfit Hell's Kitchen, told FOX Business he believes that the order will only increase the likelihood that gyms will become more crowded earlier in the day, reaching the state-mandated 33% capacity before 10 p.m.
"If there are 1,000 members on any given day that would attend the gym between 5 a.m. and 11 p.m., that would average 55.5 people per hour over 18 hours. Reducing the open hours 5 a.m. to now 10 p.m. increases the average to 59 people per hour over 17 hours," Preischel said. "That potential puts more people in contact with one another, increasing the likelihood of coming in contact with someone possibly infected."
Training For Warriors Brooklyn owner Cathy LaCognata, who was forced to close her doors permanently in October after taking an operating loss of $250,000 during the months-long shutdown and being stuck in the state's red cluster zone, believes the restrictions seem to just be "getting people ready for another shutdown."
"Many gyms aren't even open that late," LaCognata said. "I haven't seen any real data to show that gyms are where the coronavirus is spreading."
She argues that the effort is penalizing gyms that are simply trying to help people stay fit and healthy to avoid catching the virus.
"We care about people. That's why we're in this business," LaCognata added. "We want to be part of the answer, not the problem. And that's what we're trying to do. But we keep getting, you know, like demonized that we are the problem."
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Physician and Fox News Contributor Dr. Nicole Saphier told FOX Business that there's "no science" behind COVID-19 spreading after 10 p.m., and that while she understands how the curfew could potentially help in restaurants and bars, it would not help gyms.
"I understand why the timeline is in place for restaurants and bars as people tend to congregate and lose their inhibitions the later the night goes on and alcohol is involved," Saphier said. "However, the same is not true for gyms and the people who are working out late at night because they are still trying to stay healthy while working full-time jobs usually."
She noted that the science actually advocates for the reopening of gyms, noting that increased physical activity is one of the best ways to avoid becoming suspectible to COVID-19.
"The science not only makes it clear how critical physical fitness is, but the science also makes it clear that there are methods that can be adopted to allow safe re-openings of gyms and fitness facilities," Saphier added. "Sadly, decisions are being made at the state and local level that aren’t always guided by science and as a result, we are putting Americans at risk."
Fox News medical contributor Dr. Marc Siegel added that rather than implement "arbitrary, super-imposed lockdowns," the state should take a laser-focused approach to determine which businesses pose the highest risk of spreading the disease and help those establishments comply with public health measures, regardless of the time of day, by using increased social distancing, mask wearing, and rapid testing.
"I think that political restraints and regulations and curfews are drastic moves that will probably cause more harm than good when an alternative might be to figure out a way to ensure compliance," Siegel said. "We should test for [COVID] more and wear our masks and social distance and try to avoid as much of these super-imposed punitive measures as possible."
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The order comes on the heels of recent celebrations over the weekend for President-elect Joe Biden's election victory over President Trump, where New Yorkers stood shoulder to shoulder ignoring social distancing measures, though the majority of participants wore masks.
Demonstrators march through the streets to advocate protecting the voting results after former vice president and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden was announced as the winner over Pres. Donald Trump to become the 46th president of the United States, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020, in New York. His victory came after more than three days of uncertainty as election officials sorted through a surge of mail-in votes that delayed the processing of some ballots. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
While Cuomo congratulated Biden for his victory, he has not commented about the lack of social distancing during the celebrations.
The New York Health Department reported that, as of Tuesday, coronavirus cases in the state have surpassed 540,000. Of more than 160,000 rests reported Tuesday, Cuomo said 4,820 had positive results – just under 3 percent of them. Coronavirus hospitalizations across New York were at 1,628, up from 1,548 a day earlier.
Overall, the United States has surpassed 10.3 million confirmed coronavirus cases and more than 240,000 related deaths, according to the latest update by Johns Hopkins University.