WOODLAND HILLS— The LA County Health Department announced Thursday, July 23 they have forcibly closed three gyms who have remained open despite recent COVID-19 updated closures.
In a July 13 update, the County reinstated some prior closures of indoor operations due to a recent spike in coronavirus cases seen in the city. The closures were instated on: gyms and fitness centers, places of worship, hair salons and barbershops and others. In the release, the department states:
“The Order requires the closure of additional indoor operations for certain sectors which promote the mixing of populations beyond households and make adherence to physical distancing with face coverings difficult,” it said. “Today’s announcements come as Public Health has confirmed 13 new deaths and 2,593 new cases of COVID-19. All of the 13 people who passed away were over the age of 65 years old and nine of these people had underlying health conditions.”
The Health Department has been receiving many complaints of gyms refusing to close and have been issuing warnings before forcibly shutting them down. As of Thursday, it was documented that many gyms including four Crunch locations in Van Nuys, Lakewood, Northridge and Chatsworth, and Zoo Culture Gym in Woodland Hills were still operating with no intention of closing.
