Illustration of a group of people during a fitness class in Rennes.

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C. Allain / 20 Minutes

  • The prefecture has announced the closure of sports halls and gymnasiums in Rennes Métropole in an attempt to curb the coronavirus epidemic.

  • The managers of the sports halls are angry and feel sacrificed.

    They demand the reopening of their structures.

  • The boss of the fitness empire L'Orange Bleue believes that many independent gyms "will not recover".

They are on the mat, stunned.

Friday evening, the sports halls of Rennes Métropole learned from the mouth of the prefect of Ille-et-Vilaine Michèle Kirry that they had to store the towels for at least two weeks.

Sacrificed on the altar of the health crisis, these private structures feel despised and cry out for help to try to be heard by the authorities.

A petition has even been launched on the web.

Three days after the announcements supposed to curb the spread of the Covid-19 epidemic in the metropolis, anger is still very present.

The misunderstanding too.

"They hit us for no reason!"

Why attack the gyms when we apply super-strict measures?

I haven't heard of a cluster in the fitness rooms, ”says Thibaud Meunier.

The boss of My Fitness Academia is angry but above all worried.

Created a month ago, his company based in Bruz (Ille-et-Vilaine) does not allow him to receive state aid.

“Between the rent and the charges, I have to take out 3,000 euros per month, without any help.

It hurts the heart… I didn't know that it was the mayor and the prefect who decided who could live or not ”.

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Three weeks after the start of the school year, the timing of these closings is catastrophic for these structures, which carry out a large part of their registrations in September and January.

“My students don't know if they will sign.

They are lost ”, testifies Maria Jaimes, aerial dance teacher.

The gym is closed in Reindeer, the bars close at 10 p.m., we are in difficulty the srx

- Togmar🦂 (@margotmoussay) September 27, 2020

Announced by the Minister of Health Olivier Véran, the closure of gymnasiums and sports halls in "enhanced alert zones", of which Rennes is part, has not really been explained, causing misunderstanding.

“For me, the gyms should be the last places to close.

With us, the distances were respected and most climbers already wore the mask although it was not compulsory ”, estimates Manuel Bouillon, coordinator of The Roof, a place opened a year ago in the Breton capital which mixes bistro. , restaurant and climbing room.

The boss of the fitness empire L'Orange Bleue is also wondering.

“The State deprives the French of their best barrier gesture”, regrets the Rennes resident Thierry Marquer in a press release.

According to him, "the practice of sport is however the best means of reinforcing its immunity and to evacuate the anxiety".

"We are closing the rooms but not the swimming pools"

Beyond the incomprehension, the owners of sports halls also feel betrayed, jealous of the establishments which continue to welcome the public.

“We are closing the rooms but not the swimming pools.

But why ?

I don't understand the logic.

These measures will not help.

And I'm afraid that the constraints will be further tightened for us, ”continues Manuel Bouillon, who fears that his restaurant and bar, already constrained by a closure at 10 pm, must lower the curtain, as is the case in Marseilles.

Beyond their frustration and that of their practitioners, these often independent structures fear for their survival.

"Independent rooms will not rise," warns the boss of L'Orange Bleue.

Its brand shows a 30% drop in the number of subscriptions this fall.

“All charges drop.

The taxes, the Ursaaf, the rental of the venue… I won't take long like that, ”warns Maria Jaimes.

Annoyed, the aerial dance teacher has the impression "that we are beating on the weakest without consultation".

"I would like those who make the decisions to come and see how we work", continues Thibaud Meunier.

“I teach ten people in a 300 m² room.

Distancing, it is there!

".

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  • epidemic

  • Closing

  • Gymnasium

  • Room

  • Covid 19

  • Coronavirus

  • Society

  • Sport

  • Reindeer