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Gym Owner Forced To Shut Down After County Health Officials Make Mistake

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — A gym owner was forced to shut down his businesses after a mistake by county health officials Thursday.

It was one of hundreds of gyms that now have no choice but to follow the rules and close up.

"It stung, we were totally blindsided," Adam Attia, owner of Fitness Rangers, said.

He was given the green light to reopen after months of following the rules and staying closed like all gyms in Sacramento County. But after getting a thumbs up from health officials, the state overrode the approval and forced him to shut down.

Sacramento County health officials immediately apologized to gyms owners, but Adam says that mistake cost him a lot of cash.

READ MORE: State Put Brakes On Allowing Fitness Studios And Gyms to Reopen

"Boom, it came crashing down, I didn't have any words - I was heartbroken and frustrated," said Attia.

So far, he's lost more than $150,000 during this pandemic and has been forced to pause company expansions. He also set up safety checks for getting in his gym up to speed before the county gave the first approval.

CBS13 reached out to the state health department Friday and they told us gyms will be part of phase 3 reopenings, but it's not known when that could happen.

As for adam, he and his members will go back to working out in parks with extreme social distancing.

He has no choice but to wait for that next call from Sacramento County Health and hopes this time it won't be a mistake.

"It's back to protocol, to figure things out because we want to provide this community and environment with a very safe product," Attia said.

In addition to his safety checks, Attia has paid for the renovation of his restrooms turning them into touch-less facilities.

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