February 10, 2021

Bill de Blasio City Hall New York, NY 10007

Re: Reopening indoor fitness studios

Dear Mayor de Blasio:

As our city’s businesses continue to struggle on the long road to recovery from the economic devastation inflicted by the pandemic, and with COVID-19 indicator numbers trending favorably now in both our city and state, we believe the time has come to revisit and reassess the City’s position on reopening indoor fitness studios. Although their collective voices may not have been heard as powerfully as others, their sacrifices have been no less great and the damage to their businesses has been severe, with job losses numbering in the thousands, and millions of dollars in revenues lost.

We stood with boutique fitness studio owners last summer in calling for their inclusion in the City’s reopening, along with gyms, which were allowed to reopen at 33 percent capacity in September. Small boutique fitness studio and big commercial gyms should be treated equal. We also cautioned against the unintentional gender bias inherent in leaving these studios out of the reopening equation, as many of them are owned and operated by women. Though they have tried, most have been unable to offset their losses by moving their operations online.

In light of the news coming from Governor Cuomo that restaurants may reopen indoor dining at 25 percent capacity as of February 12th, we would like to propose that the City allow indoor fitness, dance, yoga, and Pilates studios to reopen at the same 25 percent capacity. If it has been deemed safe to eat and drink with no masks but with proper social distancing, it follows that exercising six feet apart while wearing a mask and observing all safety protocols should be as safe, if not more so. Based on the State’s own data, the Governor stated in December that the rate of spread in gyms and fitness facilities was very low, accounting for only .06 percent of infections with a known source.

Furthermore, the health benefits these studios provide to New Yorkers, who have been cooped up for almost a year now, must be taken into consideration. Fitness facilities improve physical and mental health, and help to mitigate preexisting conditions that increase the risk of serious illness from COVID-19, disproportionately impacting Black and Brown communities. Physical activity also helps with stress management and reduces anxiety at a time when anxiety among our people has perhaps never been higher.

Finally, it is imperative that we keep as many New Yorkers employed and in business as possible. In doing so, we must take care to look out for every sector in every industry. Fitness studios should be allowed to open safely in New York City, following all guidelines with reduced capacities, just as gyms have done. It is time for the City to treat these small businesses equally and to allow them the same chance at recovery as all the others.

Thank you for your time and attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

Eric Adams Borough President Council Member District 5

Gale Brewer James Oddo Manahattan Borough President Staten Island Borough President

Diane Savino Peter J. Abbate Jr. State Senator Assembly Member District 23 District 49

Justin Brannan Council Member Council Member District 43 District 36

Farah Louis Alan Maisel Council Member Council Member District 45 District 46

Bill Perkins Council Member District 9

Amanda Freeman Angelo Escobar SLT (Strength Lengthen and Tone) Tiger Schulmann’s

Lauren Porat Monda Mikhail and John Storch YogaSpark L.B.C. Underground Inc

Lauren Elvers Collins Mark Caserta Flatbush Avenue BID Park Slope 5th Avenue BID

James Ellis Kate Chura North Flatbush Avenue BID Atlantic Avenue BID

Dionne Presinal and Kerry Donegan Amy Glosser Bronx Yoga Lab BYKlyn Cycle and Fitness

Assaf Gal Keith Worts Crunch Flatbush CRUNCH LLC

Cynthia King Maryam Zadeh Cynthia King Dance HIIT BOX LLC

Carla R Stangenberg & Ramit Kreitner Elizabeth Powell Gorai & Katsuhito Gorai Jaya Yoga East LLC Kyokushin Karate NY

Joneil Adriano Teri Gandy-Richardson Living Yoga Park Slope Yoga Center

Debra Strougo & Christine Golub Ashley Camerini Rowhouse NYC Rumble

Leslie Graves Elise Long Solid Gold Yogi Spoke the Hub Dancing

Yosara Trujillo Steven Crocilla Jr Sweet Water Dance & Yoga Park Slope Academy of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

Travis Hsieh Christine Golub 5th Ave Fitness Viking Panda LLC dba Row House Williamsburg

Carrie Schechter Jennifer DeLuca Jukebox Boxing Corp, BodyTonic

Ben Kessel Jessica J. Silva Priority Fitness ELLAVATIONS, INC. DBA Balmir Dance Society

Lars Scofield Anna Trepanier Orangetheory Fitness The Bar Method Noho

Jessica Hope Cohen Tone Pilates Jake Irion BodyRok Kelly Chiusano. Victoria Lodise CKO Park Slope Pit of Iron Gym CKO Carroll Gardens

Lorraine DellaRatta Nicole Stuckey Holla Studio Fitness Some Like It Hot Yoga & Wellness

Lisa Michael Kaitlin Vandura CKO Chelsea NYC and CKO Upper East Side Pure Barre 88th & Lexington (now closed permanently) Pure Barre Second Avenue & 65th CKO Astoria and CKO Ozone Park (now closed Pure Barre Central Park South permanently) Pure Barre Union Square CKO Great Kills Staten Island Pure Barre Long Island City CKO Sheepshead Bay Pure Barre Cobble Hill CKO Bay Ridge Pure Barre Park Slope CKO Carroll Gardens and CKO Park slope Pure Barre Williamsburg Pure Barre FiDi Pure Barre Tribeca

Jerry Gusick William Heath Matrix Fitness Club Mile High Run Club

Melanie Ranaldo Eric Posner, CEO My Pilates Studio Swerve Fitness

Roseann Camarda Rudy Klotsman The MAX of Grasmere Orangetheory Fitness The MAX of Great Kills

David Rivera Jason Cavallo ASAP Inner Strength, LLC Cavco Wellness 57, INC dba Club Pilates West 57th Street

Jessica Hope Cohen Kari Saitowitz TONE PILATES Fhitting Room

Victoria Lodise Lorraine DellaRatta Pit of Iron Gym Holla Studio Fitness

Patricia Ruiz Jeff Griggs Moving Strength, LLC Personal Training Studio

Josandra Armillas Karen Torrone Flow Pilates LLC 5 Boro Power Yoga

Marco Guanilo David Meredith Momentum Fitness Avea Pilates

Sandra Zeuner Bryan Myers Absolutely Pilates SolidCore

Aditya Shringarpure Katie Muehlenkamp CKO Kickboxing Clinton Hill The Bar Method Brooklyn

Vincent Miletti Marisa Fuller The Fit Life With Dawn, Inc. Studio Pilates International

Chris Fernandez Lauren Hanna X93 Fitness, LLC Sonic Yoga

Jason Cavallo Lauren Paparella Club Pilates West 57th Sistas Inspired Fitness

Elisa Bluming Mark Izhak Bluming Studio Move U Fitness

Michael Carlin Katia Pryce Slope Fitness Courtnay Mariani Dance Body

Justin Cotler Carrie Schechter Dynamix Fitness NYC Jukebox boxing club

Jay Hachadoorian Donna Rubin and Jen Lobo Gantry Athletics Bode NYC

Lisa Serradilla Lisa Pantaleo Pilatium LLC barre3 Long Island City, NY

Johnnie Flynn May Friedman Body By Johnnie Vibez Studio

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