A Worcester County Superior Court judge has ordered the town of Oxford to shut down a gym that has continued to operate while other fitness centers across the state remain closed to the coronavirus pandemic.
David Blondin, 30, the owner of Prime Fitness and Nutrition in Oxford, has been fined thousands of dollars since he opened his gym ahead of schedule and has steadfastly refused to back down, despite warnings from local officials and a court order to close. Under the state’s reopening plan, gyms and fitness studios aren’t allowed to reopen until Phase 3, which will start no sooner than June 29. But Blondin went ahead and opened on May 18.
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On Tuesday Judge Susan E. Sullivan said the town of Oxford may take whatever measures necessary — including changing the locks, boarding up the building, and turning off the utilities — to close the gym down and secure the premises. Blondin is also being fined $1,000 a day and he must pay the town’s costs and attorneys’ fees.
Jeffrey Blake, an attorney representing the town of Oxford, said at the status hearing that was held Tuesday that Blondin was putting public health at risk by keeping his gym open.
“This is a serious, serious health concern,” said Blake. “This is real. We have shut the world down to stop the spread of this.”
More than 7600 people have died from coronavirus in Massachusetts.
A status conference has been scheduled for June 30.
Blondin has been defiantly running his gym since he opened May 18.
On the first day Blondin reopened, the town’s health inspector stopped by and gave him a verbal warning. The next day, town officials came back and gave him a written citation. Then they started issuing fines, and they took him to court.
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Sullivan previously ordered Blondin to stop operating his gym on June 5.
A GoFundMe campaign was launched to help Blondin pay the fines and legal fees. As of Tuesday, contributions totaled $11,321.
“Prime Fitness believes in the health and safety of all our members and we are an essential business because we not only keep you physically healthy, but more important, your mental health,” the GoFundMe page states. "We believe you can continue to keep people safe while protecting the vulnerable and still keep your doors open.”
Mark Reich, another attorney who represents Oxford, disagrees.
“Mr. Blondin’s gym is not an essential business," said Reich. "He is selfishly putting his own business interest ahead of the interests of public health and safety and is placing his clients and the residents of the Town in grave danger by his defiance of the court’s order.”
After Tuesday’s court hearing, Blondin said he planned to discuss with his attorney on how to proceed. “I have to talk to my lawyer....and we’ll see what happens,” Blondin said in a telephone interview.
Emily Sweeney can be reached at emily.sweeney@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @emilysweeney.
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