Gyms and fitness clubs in and around South Korea's capital Seoul now have a limit on what kind of music they can play. The government has set a maximum speed on the tunes allowed. This is to limit the spread of Covid-19. There are the beginnings of a new coronavirus wave in South Korea. The new measures are to stop people breathing too quickly or splashing sweat on each other. Health officials have told gyms not to play music with a tempo higher than 120 beats per minute (bpm). The songs Bad Romance by Lady Gaga and Le Freak by the group Chic fall just under the limit at 119 bpm. K-pop fans will be relieved to know they can work out to BTS. The BTS hit Dynamite is around 115 bpm.
South Korea's Prime Minister warned that the country had reached "maximum crisis level". President Moon Jae-in said he felt sorry for businesses affected by the rules. He asked people to have "a little more patience". Many gym owners are unhappy with the new rules. One said: "My biggest question is whether playing classical music or songs by BTS has had any impact on spreading the virus." He asked: "Many people use their own earphones these days, so how do you control their playlists?" Another new rule is for treadmills. They will have a maximum speed of 6kph.