The tough new restrictions put on British Columbians to battle COVID-19 is leaving a Kamloops business owner anxious and confused.
At the onset of the pandemic, Oxygen Fitness and Yoga was forced to close its doors, a closure which lasted 77 days.
The owner, Dina McLeod, made a gut wrenching plea on social media to her clients yesterday after she learned she would have to shut down again.
“We are closed effective immediately as per the government mandated B.C. wide closures,” she said, noting Provincial Health Officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, is sending an unclear signal by specifically targeting hot yoga studios where the room temperature is kept very high.
“Obviously the first thing that everyone keeps saying is she said hot, so we could just do it not hot, but we cannot risk that. We’re not that kind of gym, we don’t have that kind of space.”
She goes on say she’s wondering why some businesses are targeted but not others.
“I don’t understand how are restaurants still open? I mean I don’t want other businesses to close too, that’s not what I’m saying,” she said, fighting back tears. “I just don’t understand. We have no cases here, we’ve done everything right and I don’t know how we survive this.”
McLeod goes on to say she is not sure why the Kamloops area is being lumped in with the other parts of the province.
“It is a struggle and I’m not the only small business that’s having this problem. Now, gyms get to stay open, so yeah, so I guess you all will be probably going to other gyms to work out, I have no idea. I’m completely blown away at this mandated thing especially when we have no cases here and have had no cases here,” she added.
McLeod says she supports the decisions that medical experts are making, noting she will be taking the rules seriously so she can to flatten the curve.
“I was expecting that this was coming and I knew it was going to hurt and I knew it was going to throw me off,” she added. “We’ve done everything right. We’ve done nothing wrong and we’re trying to flatten the curve and I do think we have a social responsibility to do our part and I even said it, just last night, talking with some members, we’re way worse now than we were in March when they closed us all.”
“It’s like holy crap, will we actually make a second closure? Will we live through another closure? There’s nothing I can do, we are closed effective immediately.”
(Photo via facebook)