GYM, TAN, COVID

Floridians Do Squats and Push-Ups in Front of Courthouse to Protest Gym Closures

Over a dozen people were seen squatting and dropping to the ground to do push-ups in front of a Clearwater courthouse as they called for gyms to reopen.

Over two dozen people performed squats and push-ups—without wearing masks—outside of a Florida courthouse on Monday as part of a protest against the statewide order to keep gyms closed. Florida’s phased reopening plan, which went into effect on May 4, allowed restaurants and shops to open up with limited capacity. Gyms, however, will be allowed to reopen with a limited 75 percent capacity in the second phase of the plan, which has not yet been assigned a date. Florida will enter the second phase “once the governor determines it is suitable to continue reopening and after fully considering medical data in consultation with state health officials,” according to a state press release. The protesters, holding signs and American flags, convened outside the Pinellas County Courthouse in Clearwater as they called on state officials to reopen gyms.