The Covid-19 Omicron variant is threatening to derail the fitness industry’s nascent recovery and disappoint retail landlords who had been hoping gyms would be a powerful source of demand in early 2022.
A number of states and cities, including New York, Boston and Chicago, have implemented mask advisories and vaccine mandates for indoor activities including gyms to protect people from what is now the dominant variant of the coronavirus in the U.S. The new restrictions are setbacks for an industry that had just started to see foot traffic and leasing activity recover from the deep losses inflicted by the pandemic.