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The Australian Fitness Industry and ‘COVID Normal’ in 2022
Opening up after two years of locking down
Gyms are reopening in Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra after the recent three-month COVID-19 lockdown. These states and territories have switched strategy from pursuing “COVID-zero” to “living with COVID”, which may signal the end of lockdowns.
The reopening signals the end of a frustrating period for Melburnians in particular. Over the past 18-months, they have endured six lockdowns lasting between three days and many months. Gyms are forced to shut as each lockdown begins, and the government often delays their reopening due to being considered high-risk locations.
I have clients in Melbourne who waited for gyms to reopen, had two sessions back, and then the city went back into lockdown. I can only imagine the emotional and financial stress that gym owners and fitness workers must face in Victoria.
In this article, I want to explore what the fitness industry may look like as Australia begins to live with COVID. When the gyms first closed in March 2020, no one had any idea it would take this long for fitness to get back to any resemblance of what it once was.
But the world has changed — gyms must consider social distancing and cleaning as imperative, while consumers need to…
