Michigan is lifting all of its COVID restrictions for capacity, masks and gatherings next week.

“We can all throw some burgers on the grill, catch a Tigers game and hit the lake with our friends. We can enjoy our Michigan summer,” said Willpower Fitness Group owner William McCray. “I’m happy, I’m ecstatic and I think we’re moving in the right direction.”

The coronavirus pandemic has taken its toll on nearly every industry, and one of the hardest-hit has been in-person fitness centers. Since the onset of the pandemic, a number of Michigan gyms have struggled to reopen -- particularly due to drops in membership and, of course, the summer’s back-and-forth legal battle with the state. Leaders of the Michigan Fitness Club Association (MFCA) say fitness centers are in rough shape. Officials believe it is likely that one in five gyms across the state will have to close by 2022. “There’s no reason to assume that brick and mortar will be supplanted by online fitness,” Rief said.