A gym in Gozo claims that it has been wrongfully fined €3,000 for breaching a legal notice which required all nonessential businesses to shut their doors in light of COVID-19.

Kinetika Gym in Gozo has been closed since March 13th, prior to the legal notice, during which it has undergone a series of refurbishments and provided online personal training classes for its clients.

However, following an inspection by a police sergeant, the gym was fined €3,000 under the belief that it had been open to the public.

“There was absolutely no way we were open, there was a closed sign on both doors, the lights were off and there were paint pots everywhere,” one of the gym owners, Derek Phillips, told Lovin Malta.

The owners of Kinetika Gym have been working to repurpose the gym to accommodate social distancing measures which included doubling the size of the free weight rooms so that equipment was at least two metres apart.

“The reality is that I can’t test my equipment without lifting weights. The equipment is too heavy to move without taking it apart so we have to dismantle, reassemble and test them to make sure that everything is tight and level.”

“It’s also not possible to just shut a gym. After a couple of days, the equipment attracts rust and electronic equipment will get damping circuits,” he said.

At the time the police sergeant arrived, Derek and a personal trainer were busy testing equipment while Marc and Pauline (also part owners of the gym) were in a separate room leading an online PT session with clients.

“The sergeant came in the front, asked to see our ID and seemed quite happy. He left but phoned ten minutes later saying that he has to write a ticket because his inspector told him too.”

“He said that his inspector asked him to do it. He was quite apologetic about it to be honest.”

Following the incident, Derek asked to speak to the inspector but had his request declined.

“I am personally very disappointed as an ex-Police Sergeant that the inspector ‘asked’ or ordered the issuing of a ticket when he or she had not been to the premises, had not experienced the circumstances and had gone against the decision of the attending Sergeant,” he said in a Facebook post.