AusLeisure

A new international survey from athletic apparel website RunRepeat has revealed that a fifth of the world’s fitness facilities remain closed despite lockdown measures being eased in many nations.

Four months after RunRepeat’s initial gyms reopening study, a follow-up has found that among nations surveyed only 30.98% of gym members had returned to their gym.

Key findings from the survey where that 20.58% of gym members globally reported that their gyms are still closed - 18.28% have not reopened yet, while 2.30% have permanently closed.

In the USA, the survey found that 23.93% of members reported that their gyms have yet to reopen or are permanently closed.

Gyms reopening

With 6,812 gym members responding globally, the survey found that in the USA, reopening rates ranged from as low as 37% to as high as 96%.

The states of New York and New Jersey had more than half of their gym members report that their gym had yet to reopen or permanently closed, with over 63% of gyms in New York yet to reopen.

In Australia, the survey found that 81.25% of gyms have reopened, 16.88% remain closed while 1.87% have permanently closed.

Commenting on the findings, RunRepeat Fitness Research Director, Nick Rizzo stated “(as) COVID cases continue to rise globally … some places have already had to pause or even reverse their reopening transitions.

“The next three to six months, when membership sign-ups typically increase, will be vital in determining whether we see many more gyms close for good or not.”

Click here to view the full report with the country and state-specific breakdowns. 

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