A gym in San Jose that racked up nearly $1 million in fines for violating coronavirus mitigation orders has closed.
Santa Clara County officials announced this week that the owner of California Ripped Fitness submitted paperwork showing it had ceased indoor operations, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The gym emailed members over the weekend apologizing for the closure, calling it temporary. The gym claimed it was served “a court-mandated shutdown” and that the gym would have been permanently shuttered if it “didn’t close now.”
“We are still fighting our legal battle for your rights and ours, hopefully we will be open soon,” the email said, according to the report.
Santa Clara Counsel James Williams said no such court order exists. The county health department said it could serve the gym additional fines and potentially bring the issue to court if the gym reopens. The health department added it will be working with the owners to resolve outstanding fines.
California Ripped Fitness reopened at partial capacity in September after being shuttered for six months because of Covid restrictions. But owners then refused to close in accordance with the new health orders issued as coronavirus cases spiked in many parts of the state.
Many businesses across the state fought the renewed restrictions, including some restaurants in Southern California. In early January, Orange County charged a restaurant owner with a misdemeanor for violating a ban on outdoor dining.
The state lifted restrictions on outdoor dining in L.A. County in early January. A few days later, the county sued two restaurants for having violated that ban. [LAT] — Dennis Lynch