CASTIONE-ARBEDO – «Access to the Gymnasium without pass». The title of the email sent by the Gymnasium gym to all its customers this Monday, the day of the entry into force of the extension of the Covid certificate, is a valid title. The e-mail specified that the entrance would be open to all for the use of numerous services, such as “group courses, physiotherapy, beauty center, weight loss center and personal training” and stressed that the structure was “organizing itself to make possible the ‘access for those who do not have a pass also to the fitness room ”. The director of the Gymnasium, Jürg Heim, had subsequently declared that he wanted to train non-certified clients in a special, separate room, “with groups of up to 30 people who regularly attend the same group”.
Clear rules, ready checks – But is all this possible? Many have wondered. According to the canton, no. “The ordinance is clear in its contents”, underlines the Information and Communication Service of the Council of State (SIC), “starting from 13 September in fitness centers the training of people aged 16 and over is only possible if in possession of a Covid Certificate “. It is also recalled that, as in the other cantons, “the cantonal police will act with checks in a timely manner, upon notification”. Finally, the Canton underlines that, from what it knows, “the alleged irregularities have not yet occurred, but have only been announced by the owner”.
Little room for interpretation – To clarify possible misunderstandings is another professional in the sector. “In the provisions relating to fitness centers, it is not envisaged that unvaccinated people can be trained in rooms reserved for them,” says Daniele Grossi, manager of the Activ Fitness gym in Lugano. Yes, because the 30-person rule “exists only for sports clubs, such as Yoga, Judo or Pilates clubs, which train with a well-defined number of subscribers, always the same ones”. The protocol, he adds, “does not present this solution also for gyms, nor for muscles, nor for courses, so there is not much to interpret. We as a company follow it scrupulously ». And having a continuity of those present would be, at least for Activ Fitness, “unrealistic”, by virtue of the “large turnover of people who use the services we offer”.
