Victorville

Victorville Gym Opens, Defies Stay-at-Home Order

"If they cut our power, I’ll have a backup generator here in three hours ready to go," the gym's owner said when asked if the state could shut him down.

NBC Universal, Inc.

A Victorville gym defied the state's orders and opened back up Friday and the owner says he plans to keep that way.

‘The Gym’ in Victorville is back open and ready for business. The owner, Jacob Lewis, said he won't follow the state's "Stay-at-Home" order any longer.

"Everyone here showing up loves it," said Lewis. "Obviously they are here, they are working out so they are not afraid to go out of their house."

He said the gym will stay open and will continue to encourage members to keep their distance. However, the decision has had mixed reviews.

"The support is amazing, but on the flip side there is negative too but nowhere close to the positive," said Lewis. "I’ve had death threats on me and my girlfriend, people harassing staff."

Lewis said the gym has more than 12,000 members, some who came back right away for their daily workouts.

"It keeps us busy, keeps us moving, keeps our minds off everything else," said gym member Nico Picado. "It keeps us from going crazy."

"I was super happy to come in," said gym member, Leslie Lopez. "Just because I was able to go back to my routine that I used to do. It was starting to feel I was getting my life back. "

And employees and personal trainers are also back to work...

"It feels great to get a paycheck," said personal trainer Alister Green. "But I’m also happy about people coming in here and coming after their goals. That’s what I’m more happy about.

The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office said they’re working on getting the gym to comply with the stay at home order.

"The sheriff realizes this is a sensitive issue and has dedicated deputy sheriff’s to follow up on those not complying with the order," San Bernardino County Sheriff said in a statement to NBCLA. "This issue is not being ignored and we will continue to educate the public and businesses about the order and seek voluntary compliance."

Lewis said he has no plans of closing the doors.

"It’s not going to happen. Period," said Lewis. "If they cut our power, I’ll have a backup generator here in three hours ready to go."

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