South Korean Government bans high tempo music in Seoul gyms

Gyms in South Korea's capital Seoul and its surrounding region have been that they should not play music with a tempo higher than 120 beats per minute (BPM), in order to limit the spread of COVID-19.

With areas of South Korea experiencing a rise in Coronavirus cases, health officials say the restrictions - which also include treadmills being limited to a maximum of 6km/h - will prevent people from breathing too fast or splashing sweat droplets into the air and onto other gym users.

South Korean Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum warned on Friday that the country had reached "maximum crisis level".

Those attending exercise classes such as Zumba, spin and aerobics in the greater Seoul area will face the 120bpm limit from Monday.

People are also only allowed to spend two hours at a time at indoor sports facilities and must not

However, the move has been questioned by gym owners, with Kang Hyun-ku, who owns a gym in Seoul, asking whether there was any proof a choice between BPM had an impact on spreading the virus.

He also told Reuters many people used their own earphones, asking "how do you control their playlists?"

Industry leaders have repeatedly questioned assertions that gyms are unsafe during the pandemic.

Image courtesy of Zumba.