Horsham Athletic Club To Defy PA COVID Shutdown

HORSHAM, PA — With coronavirus cases and deaths on the rise, the Horsham Athletic Club will defy state orders to shut down, its owner says.

In a Facebook post just hours after Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf announced the temporary measures on Thursday, the club said it will remain open. Wolf's order specifically calls for indoor activities at gyms to be stopped.

"We believe in the importance of fitness as essential in the fight against COVID-19 and are confident in our ability to operate successfully following all COVID-19 protocols for safety," the post said.

It said the club will remain open "for the sake of our loyal members who, too, believe in this."

"We thank our members and the community for their ongoing support and respect the right of every citizen of the commonwealth to make the best decisions for themselves and their families," the post read.

Located at 400 Horsham Rd., Horsham Athletic Club is owned by Jim Worthington, who also owns the Newtown Athletic Club.

A longtime Republican donor, Worthington has been an avid and outspoken supporter of President Donald Trump. He hosted then-candidate Trump at Newtown Athletic Club for a campaign event in 2016 that reportedly cost Newtown Township almost $20,000 in overtime expenses.

He also played a hand in organizing the president's last-minute campaign visit in Washington Crossing a few days before this year's election. After Democrat Joe Biden won the election, Worthington raised money for Trump's legal defense team — which has unsuccessfully challenged the election results in dozens of lawsuits — through the People 4 Trump political action committee he created.

In April, Bucks County erected a temporary field hospital at Newtown Athletic Club to help ensure there was enough hospital space during the onset of the pandemic. It was never used and taken down the next month.

The measures announced by Wolf, a Democrat, begin on Saturday and go through Jan. 4. They include closing indoor dining and gyms, limiting gathering size and suspending youth sports.

"We need to slow the spread right now in order to save lives," said Wolf who, himself, tested positive for the virus this week but is yet to show symptoms. "If we don't, we are going to be in big trouble."

It's not clear how the state plans to enforce the gym closure order. Patch has reached out to state health officials for clarification on potential repercussions.

The new restrictions came as the state broke a record set just the day before for most coronavirus deaths in a single day. Officials on Thursday reported 248 new deaths, breaking the record of 220 deaths set just the day before.