Two weeks after BC Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry ordered all gyms and fitness facilities to close, a West Kelowna gym has said no..“Enough is enough,” writes Iron Energy Gym West Kelowna, in a Facebook post..“As owners we followed all the safety procedures laid out by the powers that be, even when they didn’t make sense, but to get our gym taken away?⣔.Iron Energy says the government is shoving fear in people’s faces by shutting down the one place its members had to unwind and work on their mental health..The current restrictions are:.No organized indoor gatherings of any size, such as weddings;Bars and nightclubs closed;Gyms, fitness centres and dance studios closed;Sports tournaments cancelledSeated events reduced to 50% capacity, regardless of size;Maximum six people per table at cafes, pubs, restaurants etc..“People in BC have stepped up and done the right thing over and over … but, the challenge we have is this virus doesn’t recognize that,” said Henry while announcing the current order..“It has changed, and so must we.”.Iron Energy said freedoms are being taken away one rule at a time, and therefore it is “not willing to comply anymore.”.Current members are asked to knock on the front door and show their membership tag. The gym is not accepting new members..Iron Energy has not commented on how it will address BC’s injection passport system going forward..“Thank you for taking a stand! Now what about the v-pass?” writes one Facebook user..“Are you discriminating with vax-passes?” writes another..As for opening its doors in defiance of Henry’s orders, Iron Energy said it’s going to play its move and “wait for what happens next.”.“Thank you for your patience in these crazy times,” the gym said..In December, minister of public safety Mike Farnworth said he will be working to ensure the current orders, such as gym closures, are “properly enforced,” however, he provided no further detail..On Friday, health minister Adrian Dix said “public health orders will be enforced and I suggest people follow them,” adding “they” don’t want to engage in enforcement due to being “busy.”.“Bring your phones and get ready to record anything that happens.⣠If anyone shows up at our gym and tries to shut us down, we want it blasted all over the Internet,” writes Iron Energy..“Let’s take back our freedom. Let’s take back our right to exercise.”.Reid Small is a BC-based reporter for the Western Standard.,rsmall@westernstandardonline.com,.Twitter.com/reidsmall
