Another COVID Closing

I received a very disappointing email yesterday advising me that the racquet and fitness club where I play racquetball will be closing at the end of September. It is going out of business. 

The email from the Sport Fit Laurel Racquet and Health Club was unexpected and the first paragraph is as follows:

Dear Members:

For 34 years we have served the Laurel area as an award-winning health club. It is with a heavy heart that we have made the difficult decision to close Laurel Racquet + Health Club. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, nearly all health clubs were closed nationwide for months. During that time, our business suffered.  Since our reopening in late June the member usage has dropped considerably. After careful evaluation we have concluded we cannot continue operating given these circumstances.

I admit, I have been a member for just over a year, but I have enjoyed playing racquetball there because the courts were always clean, unlike the far more expensive club where I used to play.

It is another business lost to COVID. Businesses are closing across the country and the toll on the owners and the employees is not well reported. The customers and patrons also feel the loss.

Support your local businesses before they succumb to COVID-19.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD