Covid-19 has claimed another East London landmark business, this time Beacon Bay's popular gym-in-a-castle, Active Attitude Health & Fitness Centre.

Owner Michael McLoughlin said after running the business for 23 years he had decided to close up shop.

The decision came after considering the government's level 2 lockdown regulations for gym operations.

McLoughlin said not being able to make a profit since March contributed to the decision, which has left four people without jobs.

“We've been without an income since March and there are overheads to pay. There was no relief from the government for our business so the expenses were running away from us,” McLoughlin said.  

“Even though the industry is being allowed back to work now, there are strict protocols for health clubs. Some of them are a bit impractical.”

McLoughlin said training with a cloth mask on one's face was one of those “impractical requirements”. Another is the 50-person limit placed on gyms and fitness centres.

He said his gym would not be in a position to generate an income if they allowed only 50 people into the space at a time.

“Training with a mask on is a dangerous thing. It doesn't matter what anybody says, especially when you are doing intense training. One of the primary functions is to breathe oxygen in and if you have a cloth across your face, your intensity levels have got to drop. So that is concerning for me.

“And the limit on the number of people that you allow in your club every hour is 50 and that includes your staff. This means the number allowed in doesn't let you meet the turnover you need to sustain yourself financially. I don’t see myself putting on a mask and training. I know that's a terrible thing to say because we are going to rely on people in the future to maintain those laws but I have to be realistic.”

McLoughlin has trained the likes of current WBO world bantamweight champion and former IBF world champion Zolani Tete from Mdantsane at his gym.  

“I'm just sad we had to give up the facility because we played a big role in many local boxers' lives. We used to work with guys like Mzi Mnguni,  Mla Tengimfene and their boxers and it's sad to let it go. But I will remain in the industry. I will concentrate on the personal training side, and on coaching and lifestyle assessment.

“It became too difficult to run the business under the current circumstances. I'm not a quitter and I tried to keep being optimistic. We even started renovating the gym, repainting and maintenance, but then we realised there would be no relief any time soon,” McLoughlin said. — DispatchLIVE