#NYC fitness studio owners sue de Blasio for continuing coronavirus closures

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Members of the Boutique Fitness Alliance hold a press conference Wednesday.
Fhitting Room

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio needs to be more flexible with coronavirus reopening rules, fitness pros charged on Wednesday.

The owners of boutique exercise studios filed suit against the mayor and the city over restrictions barring them from reopening along with the rest of the Big Apple’s gyms last week.

“Studios in New York City continue to be randomly and arbitrarily shut down since March 16, 2020, with no opening date in sight,” state the court documents filed in New York Supreme Court.

While gyms were given the OK to reopen last week with some restrictions, city health officials have deemed group work-out classes such as yoga or pilates to have a higher risk of spreading COVID-19.

Boutique Fitness Alliance, which represents about 100 NYC fitness studios, and the New York Fitness Coalition, which is made up of some 2,500 gyms and studios in the state, allege they have been stripped of “their liberty and property interests without due process.”

The plaintiffs argue that if businesses such as tattoo parlors, tanning salons and bowling alleys are allowed to reopen, then group exercise classes should be able to get back into gear, too.

The city and mayor “have not provided any science or data to keep these small businesses shuttered,” the filing charges.

Amanda Freeman, founder of the SLT and the Boutique Fitness Alliance, said the legislation is an effort to get the mayor to reveal why group exercise classes are more dangerous than other indoor activities that were given the green light.

“We’d like to see the reasoning and data behind his decision,” she told The Post.

She said the classes can be held with social distancing in place and additional safety measures, including mask wearing, taking temperatures and making sure mats get scrubbed down.

The businesses have taken a hit amid the pandemic and it’s “gonna be hard enough to come back when we are open,” Freeman said.

“They can’t keep us closed forever, it’s really unfair.”

A City Hall spokesman said he couldn’t comment on pending legislation.

“The city’s public health experts have determined that these activities are high-risk and we’re continuing to put public safety first as the city continues its recovery from COVID-19,” said Mitch Schwartz.