Rejected petition Classify gyms and other exercise facilities as essential in national lockdown.

Rejected on 6 November 2020

We would like gyms and other exercise facilities to be counted as essential and to be allowed to remain open during the national lockdown.

The ability to exercise freely in the preferred form is essential to the preservation of the country's physical and mental health. The fitness sector poses one of the lowest Covid-19 infection risks out of any sector, with infection rates being as low as 0.000007% according to a study by safeACTIVE. Since re-opening in July, gyms across the national have proved capable of operating in a covid-safe fashion. Exercising at home or outside simply isn't viable anymore given the winter conditions.

Why was this petition rejected?

There’s already a petition about this issue. We cannot accept a new petition when we already have one about a very similar issue.

You are more likely to get action on this issue if you sign and share a single petition.

You may wish to sign some of these petitions:

Keep gyms and leisure facilities open during any lockdown: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/556956

Prevent gyms closing due to a spike in Covid 19 cases: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/333869

The Committee will be holding a debate on Covid-19 restrictions on gyms and sport on Monday 23 November. You will be able to watch the debate on Parliament TV at 4.30pm: https://www.parliamentlive.tv/Commons

We only reject petitions that don’t meet the petition standards.