Planet Fitness requires patrons to wear masks while working out as of Aug. 1

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All Planet Fitness gym members and guests, including those at the one at the Sahali Mall in Kamloops, will be required to wear masks covering their mouth and nose as of Aug. 1.

The announcement was made today via a press release from the gym's corporate headquarters in New Hampshire.

"We believe it’s our responsibility to further protect our members, employees, and communities so that we can all safely focus on our health, which is more important now than ever before,” states the company's CEO, Chris Rondeau, in the release.

The company touches on obesity in the U.S. as an important health issue that needs to be balanced with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Planet Fitness opened up last month in Kamloops with increased sanitizing and new polices, including having staff wear masks.

The company operates around 1,450 locations across the US, Canada and Australia. The Kamloops location is the only one in B.C.'s interior.