LANSING - A federal appeals court granted Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s Appeal Wednesday night that would keep indoor gyms in Michigan closed. The move comes hours before gyms were allowed to reopen statewide after a judge’s order would have allowed them to do so.

Gyms have been closed since 3:00 pm on March 16th to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

The court said as costly as it might be for businesses, it’s crucial to keep the public save from spreading the virus.

“We sympathize deeply with the business owners and their patrons affected by the governor’s order. Crises like COVID-19 can call for quick, decisive measures to save lives. Yet those measures have extreme costs -- costs that often are not borne evenly. The decision to impose those cost rests with the political branches of government, in this case, Governor Whitmer. Her motion for emergency stay is thus granted,” the court said in its ruling.

On June 19th a federal judge ruled that indoor gyms could reopen in Michigan on June 25th. The ruling was in response to a lawsuit filed by the League of Independent Fitness Facilities. Paul Maloney, U.S. District Judge in the Western District of Michigan said the state did not present enough evidence that supported the closure.

Governor Whitmer appealed the ruling on Monday but the judge declined to take it up. That’s when Whitmer went to the U.S. Court of Appeals.