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Jul 4

Fitness Industry Calls on Congress for Desperately Needed Relief – Club Industry

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Hard-hit health and fitness clubs ask Congress for relief, protection, and stimulus.

BOSTON, MAJune 23, 2020Forced into near-total shut down since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association (IHRSA), is calling on the Senate to help Americas health and fitness industry survive so it can continue to employ its nearly three million workers.

As an industry uniquely impacted by the coronavirus, health and fitness clubs are in desperate need of relief to get back on their feet, pay their employees and continue to provide safe, secure, proven places for millions of Americans to achieve their health and fitness goals.

Health and Fitness Clubs are uniquely impacted by the crisis because:

IHRSA, the trade association for the health club industry, has been sounding the alarm on the dire consequences the industry is facing since the early days of the pandemic, even before Congress took up the CARES Act.

With near-total closures and no real opportunities to earn revenues since mid-March, fitness clubs and gyms across the country require financial relief.

I have taken on the responsibility to continue to pay my employees for the time being, but those funds, without income from the business, are finite. We need to support our workers, but for our workers to have jobs in the future, we need to make sure that the economy of the health and wellness industry can rebound, said Kevin Johnson, CEO and owner of Team85 Fitness & Wellness in Bordentown, NJ [which as of June 12 has yet to announce an opening date for clubs.] We need the support of our government to protect our employees, and the actions put in place thus far are not enough to continue this assistance. Without a concerted effort, we will see this industry begin to crumble. Even if the larger facilities can remain open, the small business will not be able to sustain paying the employees without support.

When Congress passed the CARES Act, a large and important segment of the fitness industry, operators with more than 500 employees, was left out. Even those who were able to access some emergency funding found that aid insufficient to keep their businesses open, as many clubs go into their third month of closure. And those eligible for the SBAs Payroll Protection Plan (PPP) were not able to take advantage of the loans with their businesses remaining closed, many with no opening date in sight.

Without much-needed relief, the health and fitness industry, which represents a vital portion of the U.S. economy and the nations health and well-being, faces dire consequences:

If we have learned anything from this experience, it is that those who are healthy have a better chance of being able to survive this type of virus, and it is imperative that the fitness industry be at the forefront of all government entities to improve the health and wellbeing of all their constituents now and in the future, said Johnson. Without Congressional support, one of the most important industries in this world will be withered away to nothing.

Health clubs serve as an integral part of the solution to returning our citizens to a state of good health, a strengthened immune system, better mental health and prosperity. They are deeply ingrained in their communities, serving as community centers in many places, and providing daycare options, swimming lessons, educational classes, and other services that would be lost if they close.

For Americas gyms, studios, health and fitness clubs, and the companies that supply them to survive, and continue to maintain the physical and emotional health of communities across the country, Congress must include relief that can help fitness businesses in any of its upcoming legislative attempts to address COVID-19 related issues.

In its lobbying efforts to save the U.S. health and fitness industry, IHRSA is asking for three categories of relief from Congress: relief, protection, and stimulus.

Without immediate assistance, as many as a quarter of Americas health and fitness clubs will close by the end of 2020. This would be catastrophic to these small business owners, their hundreds of thousands of employees, and the millions of people who use them, said Joe Moore, IHRSA president and CEO. In a time where increased physical activity is critical to the countrys physical and mental health, the closure of these clubs would be devastating to communities across the country and could leave many without access to any health and fitness options at a time when they need them the most.

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Note: This press release was sent by IHRSA to hundreds of national and political media contacts to highlight the fitness industry's plight. A version of this release was sent to US fitness industry trade media and can be seen here:ihrsa-launches-campaign-for-relief-and-stimulus-from-congress/.

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Fitness Industry Calls on Congress for Desperately Needed Relief - Club Industry

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