As COVID-19 restrictions in Ontario begin to ease, a local gym owner is glad proof of vaccination and capacity limits are being lifted.
The owner of True Fitness Windsor Luis Mendez believes, being active is part of the solution, not the problem.
Mendez says fitness facilities are not the places transmitting the virus.
He says although they will continue to space out the equipment, the ventilation systems in gyms are a key factor in keeping people safe.
"One thing a lot of people don't know is the fact that fitness facilities are zoned differently than retail spaces and other small commercial spaces, we have double the air ventilation than most facilities do," he says.
The pandemic has made gyms and other facilities more safety cautious Mendez explains.
"Our facilities now have towel service, there's added bottle sprayers, there's sanitation stations all over the facility. Those are things we will continue to have even after these restrictions and moving forward," he says.
Mendez says its time to learn how to live with the virus and that he's excited for the lifting of masking requirements to be next.
"In any common area in the gym you have to wear a mask and for us, having this mask mandate lifted is huge because walking is a part of fitness and movement. When you have a mask on your face that's restricting your oxygen intake, especially when you're out there moving, breathing heavy and exerting your body," says Mendez.
The province is set to lift the proof of vaccination system and capacity limits for restaurants, gyms, retailers and other indoor settings on March 1.
Masking requirements remain in place but the province says a timeline to lift them will come at a later date.