One California city mayor reportedly said Tuesday his municipality can’t afford to have gyms go under during the COVID-19 pandemic and has created a fund to help them out.
At an Axios virtual event sponsored by Planet Fitness, Long Beach, California, Mayor Robert Garcia said there’s now a $5 million fund to dole out grants to struggling gyms and personal care businesses.
And it’s expected to grow, Axios reported.
“We don't want to lose this critical piece of our economy," Garcia said at the event, the news outlet reported.
"We know that for most of them, they had serious closures that occurred over the summer,” he said.
“Right now in Long Beach and in California, many remain closed and some are able to operate outside so that the state does allow outdoor training, of course [with] safety protocols in place and distancing," he said.
Garcia pointed out many fitness businesses on the West Coast “have a diversity of folks that are running” them.
Garcia said the city plans to provide grants from $25,000 to $40,000 "directly to these gyms so they can bridge those months they've been closed on the rent" or have money to reopen, Axios reported.
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