As COVID-19 restrictions ease, gym franchise owner says crowds are ‘certainly coming back’

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New York gym owner reacts to new COVID guidelines

Crunch Fitness franchisee Assaf Gal joins ‘Fox and Friends’ to discuss the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the gym industry. 

A New York gym owner is gearing up for bigger crowds as the state lifts coronavirus restrictions. 

In New York City, fitness centers are finally allowed to operate at 100% capacity as long as they maintain social distancing.

"We've been prepared for a long time. We've been maintaining the protocols for a long time," Crunch Fitness Franchise Owner Assaf Gal said Thursday on "Fox & Friends." "As the CDC and the New York State government indicated at this point, if you're vaccinated and you feel OK about it, it's no longer a requirement to have a mask on." 

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Despite gyms filling up, Gal said the industry was slightly "overlooked" in terms of help during the coronavirus pandemic. 

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Congress is currently looking over legislation called the Gyms Act, a bill that establishes a grant program to provide economic support to eligible fitness facilities impacted by the global pandemic. 

"It's really, really important help that we need so that we can just continue to serve our members and our communities further out into the future," the gym owner said.

Gal added that gym-goers are "comfortable, people are happy, and the crowds are certainly coming back."

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"We're really happy to be back not only from a fitness perspective but a mental health perspective. You know, it's hard being home," Gal told co-host Ainsley Earhardt. "It's really, really energizing just to get back to some level of fitness in your life."