The National Capital Region (NCR), our country’s engine of growth, is gradually coming back to life after three months of virtual isolation inside the “NCR Plus” bubble. It seems like déjà vu if one recalls the early months of the pandemic last year, when the Philippine economy plunged to the lowest level since World War II.
One of the sectors most affected by the health and economic crisis is the fitness industry. For five months in 2020 and three months in 2021, gyms and fitness centers were closed due to a perception that they are super-spreaders of COVID-19.
But this notion has since been debunked by the Philippine Fitness Alliance (PFA) composed of major industry players such as Gold’s Gym, Anytime Fitness, Slimmers World, Fitness First, UFC Gym, and Celebrity Fitness. During the months that they were open, PFA gyms had approximately 600,000 member check-ins and they have recorded zero coronavirus transmissions to date.