WASHINGTON — Small boutique fitness centers in D.C. are defying Mayor Muriel Bowser's order that suspends all indoor group workouts, opting to stay open instead. The CEO’s of F45 Training on U Street, DC Hustle and Solidcore sent a letter to Bowser Tuesday afternoon insisting they are not the source of community spread and their facilities should remain safe to continue operation.
Anne Mahlum, the founder and CEO of Solidcore, said she is not being defiant or combative but needs to “stand up for my community at this point.” Mahlum said Solidcore's eight D.C. locations have been open since June with strict safety protocols, including social distancing, limiting classes to 10 participants, mandated masks, disinfecting everything in between uses, and increased air filtration.
“346,561 classes and over 35,000 people come into our locations, and not one instance of community spread,” she said. "And if the city or the mayor has any evidence to show us of the contrary, we're all ears.”
Mahlum said she invites the mayor to check it out for herself.
“While I sympathize and understand and have frankly appreciated the mayor's leadership over the last eight months, shutting us down is not going to slow the spread or change the numbers because we are not the culprit," Mahlum said.
Joe Houston Jr., the founder of the popular #WeFitDC movement, has been organizing outdoor workouts of groups of 50 in Wards 7 and 8.
“We all deserve a chance at wellness,” he said.
While Houston doesn’t agree with the order now limiting outdoor workouts to 25 people, he canceled his upcoming event.
“We had to respect her order, but I know that we’ve done over 30 activations – that’s what we call [our events] - nobody ever got COVID,” Houston said.
“You’re allowing bars and restaurants to be open when you cannot have a mask on when you’re eating and drinking, but you’re shutting down an operation where you’re having a mask on the whole time," Mahlum added. "It doesn’t make sense.”
WUSA9 reached out to the mayor’s office for comment and to learn what penalty violators face, but did not yet receive a response.
See the letter to Bowser below: