South Korea has required gyms to stop playing fast-paced music during group exercises in an attempt to limit the spread of COVID-19.

Health officials told gyms to not play music with a tempo higher than 120 beats per minute (bpm) during group exercises, such as aerobics, to prevent people from breathing too fast or splashing sweat on others.

Officials added that the measure will also help prevent gyms from closing completely.

However, gym owners question if the measure would be effective or realistic.

Opposition politicians described the measure as "nonsense."

"Who on earth checks the bpm of the songs when you work out? I don't understand what COVID-19 has to do with my choice of music," main opposition People Power party member Kim Yong-tae reportedly said.  

Additional measures also include limiting treadmills to a maximum speed of 6 kilometers per hour, limiting people to spend only two hours at a time at indoor sports facilities, banning the use of showers, and restricting table tennis matches to two people per table.

South Korea has been facing a new surge of COVID-19, reporting 1,100 new cases and one new death on July 12, which brings the nationwide tallies to 169,146 cases and 2,044 deaths.