Gym Faces Over $1.2 Million Fine For Defying Lockdown Orders

• New Jersey’s Atilis Gym is facing a fine of over 1.2 million dollars for staying open despite Governor Phil Murphy’s lockdown order.
• The official said the temporary closures are necessary to prevent Covid-19 spread.
• The gym owners, however, believe that they can continue to operate amid the pandemic as they observe safety measures.
• So far, zero Covid-19 cases have been traced back into their facility over the past months, they said.

A gym in New Jersey has been slapped with a $1.2 million fine for defying Covid-19 lockdown restrictions. According to Ian Smith, one of the owners of Atilis Gym, they have stayed open for several months despite the government’s orders to close their doors. Now authorities are after them.

In an interview with FOX, Smith said Governor Phil Murphy “has thrown everything he possibly could to shut us down.”

Smith also added:

“He has arrested my partner and I, given us over 60 citations, some of them criminal. He fines us $15,497.76 per day for every day we’re in operation. Our fines are totaling over $1.2 million, but every single day, Frank and I open our gym.”

Meanwhile, the governor pointed out that the temporary closures of gyms are necessary to avoid the spread of coronavirus.

The gym co-owner, however, defended that there have been zero Covid-19 infections detected in the business despite logging more than 83,000 visits for the past several months. By average, Atilis accommodates between 5 to 700 members each day. And safety measures are always observed in the gym, said Smith.

He further argued:

“What’s happening to the middle class and small businesses in America is nothing short of a complete tragedy. I would go so far as to call it criminal. You are putting people out of business for good. You are making them reliant on big government. You are taking away their civil liberties under the guise of pretending like you care about public health.”