Several gym owners and bodybuilders on Tuesday hit the the streets of Pakistan's Peshawar in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, with placards and posters to protest against the government’s order to shut down gyms.
The iron-pumping bodybuilders went shirtless and flexed their muscles on the streets to gain the attention of people as well as authorities. They demanded the gyms be reopened as they have suffered losses due to the shutdown.
“Let us open our gyms. We also have family”.
— Joseph Willits (@josephwillits) June 15, 2020
A show of strength from gym owners in Peshawar, Pakistan, protesting to open up the gyms. pic.twitter.com/g5CeDCTnbe
The beefed-up protesters wore masks but remained shoulder-to-shoulder defying social distancing norms.
Peshawar (Pakistan): singolare protesta a petto nudo dei proprietari delle palestre, chiedono di poter riaprire le attività, attualmente ferme causa #Covid19#COVID__19 #PakistanAirForce #news #politics #gym pic.twitter.com/SSJAbccWdu
— GeopoliticalNews (@GeopoliticalN) June 16, 2020
Gyms, swimming pools, and other high-risk zones have been ordered to shut down in major cities like Islamabad and Karachi, as well as in the provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab.
As of Tuesday, Pakistan has total tally of 151,208 coronavirus cases, with 2,872 deaths and 56,000 recoveries. Despite the low numbers of deaths, the caseload has exploded in the last two weeks, pushing hospitals to the threshold of their capacity.
After lifting the partial lockdown ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr in late May, the restrictions were re-imposed on Tuesday as hot spots of COVID-19 were identified amid a “smart lockdown”.
Under smart lockdown, the areas having coronavirus cases will be put under strict measures, restraining public movement.
