The Delhi BJP on Wednesday demanded reopening of gyms and spas, alleging that the AAP government was discriminating against them as Covid restrictions like weekend curfew have been removed, and restaurants and bars have been allowed to operate at 50 percent capacity. In a statement, leader of the Opposition in the Delhi Assembly Ramvir Singh Bidhuri urged Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to immediately send a proposal in this regard to Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal.
“Restrictions like weekend curfew and odd-even have been removed from the markets. Along with this, restaurants, bars, and cinemas have also been allowed with 50 percent capacity. Why is discrimination being done only with gyms and spas?” the BJP leader asked. He highlighted that the livelihood of over one lakh people has been affected by the closure of gyms in the city.
“The fitness industry has been affected the most during Corona. They have been kept almost closed for the last two years. There are more than five thousand gyms in Delhi and more than one lakh people are associated with this industry. They are facing starvation-like situations,” he claimed. “Therefore, the Delhi government should take immediate steps and send a proposal to the Lieutenant Governor that now the time has come to open this industry following the rules of Corona,” he demanded.
Though the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) last week lifted the weekend curfew and also allowed restaurants, bars and cinema halls to operate with 50 per cent capacity, gyms and schools in the city are still shut. On Saturday, hundreds of gym owners took out a protest march to Kejriwal’s residence to oppose the DDMA’s decision to keep fitness centres closed even as the number of Covid cases have come down in the city.
Restrictions had come into force under a ‘yellow alert’ issued by the authority in December last year when the Covid positivity rate had crossed 0.5 per cent in the national capital. The number of daily cases in Delhi has been on the decline after touching a record high of 28,867 on January 13.
