NEW YORK (Legal Newsline) – New York City gyms are tired of not being able to handle indoor fitness classes and have gone to court to strike down Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Aug. 31 executive order.
The plaintiffs, who include yoga and martial arts studios as well, filed suit Feb. 22 in New York County Supreme Court against de Blasio and Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The two have not provided any “science or data to keep these small businesses shuttered,” the suit says.
Last year, Cuomo authorized local officials to determine if these types of classes should be prohibited during the COVID-19 pandemic. Fitness studios adjacent to New York City have opened to siphon customers not able to go to classes in NYC, the only place in the state that remains shut.
The complaint also notes the positive effect yoga can have on the body’s immune system.
“In New York City, you can enter a crowded subway, mall, Target department store, a hair salon, tanning salon, tattoo parlor, museum, aquarium, Macy’s, restaurant and bar but cannot do indoor yoga or join a pilates class,” the lawsuit says.
“(T)he Defendants have allowed, and are allowing gyms, tanning salons, bowling alleys, tattoo parlors, casinos to open, even though: (a) these businesses must adhere to guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on ‘social distancing’ and (b) Plaintiff, and all others similarly situated, are fully capable of adhering to those same guidelines if allowed to open.”