Water and electricity were shut off Thursday at a Massachusetts gym that has for a month opened its doors in violation of state restrictions due to coronavirus.
David Blondin, the owner of Prime Fitness Gym in Oxford, opened the center up on May 18 even though the state had only entered phase 1 of business reopening that day, and fitness centers would not be permitted to reopen until phase 3.
Blondin has faced numerous fines, and on June 5, Worcester Superior Court Judge Susan E. Sullivan had ordered Blondin and any associates to not operate the gym, but Blondin continued to allow members to work out.
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On Tuesday, Sullivan ordered that Oxford “shall take any and all reasonable measures” to keep the gym closed, including hiring a locksmith to change the locks, boarding up doors and windows and discontinuing utility services at Blondin’s expense.
On Thursday, Oxford “acting pursuant to an order issued by the Worcester Superior Court” shut off the gym’s water and electricity, attorney Mark Reich, representing the town, confirmed to NBC News.
“This action was taken in the clear interest of protecting public health and safety. The operation of a gym is not currently permitted under the Governor’s phased reopening plan,” Reich said. “The court has since found the operator in contempt and has ordered the Town to take action to address this public health threat. That is the basis for this action.”
Blondin has not only adamantly kept his own doors open, but in a May 31 Facebook post encouraged other gyms in Massachusetts to also defy the law and allow members back.
On June 15, he posted, “Since protests are ok, this means I can stay open right?”
He also shared a GoFundMe page intended to help him pay piling fines. The gym has been fined $1,000 a day since the decision on June 5, on top of fines they were issued before then. The GoFundMe page had raised more than $14,000 by Thursday.
On Wednesday, Blondin announced that the gym would be “hosting a protest to fight for our freedom and train” over the weekend.
“Let’s make this the biggest event Massachusetts and the fitness industry has seen! See you all there!!” the gym owner wrote.
