An Edmonton fitness studio struggling under the latest restrictions is questioning why they could work in someone’s home but not in their studio.
“It’s not like we can move a boxing ring to someone’s room,” Champs Boxing general manager, Cheryl Rose, said.
The province’s latest round of restrictions meant boxing studios had to shut their doors to walk-in clients and in-studio, one-on-one training sessions.
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But while in-studio is not allowed, the province said one-on-one training at someone’s home is.
“It makes no sense when families are unable to go to each other’s homes and that a trainer would be able to go to someone’s homes,” Rose said.
Global News asked Alberta Health if homes are considered safer than a gym or studio, but the province did not provide specifics, saying only that a home is not a facility prohibited to public access.
But for the owner of Champs Boxing and professional boxer Jelena Mrdjenovich, at-home training is not a welcome option.
“I’ve had 19 knockouts in 53 fights but I don’t feel safe as a female going into someone’s house ultimately the unknown and putting myself at risk not just COVID wise, physically wise and you never know what you’re walking into,” Mrdjenovich said.
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Despite the limited opportunities for revenue under the current restrictions, she has decided that none of her trainers will do at-homes training, instead offering only live virtual sessions.
“It’s extremely concerning because it’s really the unknown, at least here we’re adhering to all the safety and cleanliness standards and we have over 53-hundred square feet of space for a one on one,” Rose said.
Alberta Health says, one-on-one training at someone’s home has been allowed since the latest round of restrictions came into force, but that information wasn’t clear. The province has updated its website in hopes of making the regulations more clear.