Now that it is time to reopen, what are the necessary precautions for gyms and fitness centers to take in order to keep members and staff safe from the virus?
The Coronavirus pandemic has devastated the world economy and caused a lot of disruption in our everyday lives.
Gyms and fitness centers have been closed since the very start due to fears and concerns of contagion.
As people look to return to normalcy, the Coronavirus is still a looming threat and necessary precautions need to be taken to mitigate any risk.
Gyms and fitness centers face a “new normal”.
Guidelines To Reopening Gyms and Fitness Center During Coronavirus Pandemic
SIGNING A HEALTH LIABILITY WAIVER
One of the first things that gyms and fitness centers will need to do when they reopen will be to have all of your members and clients sign a health liability waiver. It will protect the business from any liability if someone were to contract COVID-19 while training at the facility.
This is a very important first step to take as anyone entering the facility is doing so at their own risk so it is important to get this in writing.
LIMIT GYM CAPACITY
Among the many guidelines set by many states is the limiting of the overall capacity of any business or facility anywhere from 25% to 50% depending on the phase of reopening and the particular industry. This is very important to avoid overcrowding and allow for social distancing which will help prevent infection.
Allowing for greater social distancing between members will not only keep them safer but it will give them more peace of mind.
MEASURE OUT SPACE FOR SOCIAL DISTANCING
Precautions such as blocking off every piece of cardio equipment and laying tape on the floor to outline safe social distance boundaries will be a key factor in allowing members a safe workout environment. Group classes may have to be severely limited or significantly altered to maintain proper social distancing.
MASK WEARING AMONG STAFF, NOT MEMBERS
Gyms and fitness centers may be one of the few places that will have to lessen mask-wearing restrictions for the safety of their members. The inherent nature of strenuous physical activity will lead to more labored breathing and restricting oxygen would be dangerous and unhealthy.
ORDER EXTRA CLEANING SUPPLIES
Providing your members and clients hand sanitizer stations throughout the gym as well as sanitizing wipes to clean the equipment before and after their use will stop the spread of Coronavirus and other potentially harmful bacteria.
REGULARLY DISINFECT AND CLEAN
During a Pre-Coronavirus world, it would not be uncommon for many gyms and fitness centers to be very lax regarding their sanitation practices but now there is a new standard. It will be very common practice to regularly disinfect and clean your entire gym and fitness center to keep your members safe and provide them ease of mind when trying to return to a regular gym schedule.
Take into consideration to provide adequate cleaning time between group classes as well as have employees regularly wipe down equipment throughout the day.
Gym Tech offers a Cleaning and Disinfecting service for Gyms and Fitness Centers. Our extensive fitness equipment service offerings have naturally extended to also providing cleaning services to our clients during these trying times. Let Gym Tech help keep you and your members safe from Coronavirus!
DISPLAY SIGNAGE
Reinforcing the new rules and procedures for health and hygiene etiquette will allow you to better enforce and keep order in your gym and fitness center. Having constant reminders around the gym will ensure that everyone is following the rules and keeping themselves safe.
VIRTUAL PRIVATE TRAINING
The stay at home orders to fight the spread of the Coronavirus pandemic has to lead to a lot of technical and digital ingenuity, virtual private training being one of them. As many people will choose to come back to the gym there will still be a lot who choose to stay home.
Offering them an at-home fitness solution will not only allow you to provide them value but it will bring in another stream of potential revenue to keep your business alive during these trying times.
These are some of the guidelines that Gym Tech identifies as crucial for gyms and fitness centers to follow in order to reopen their facilities and to abide by government mandates. We will update this post over time as we discover other important information to share.
Check out one of our other post about 7 Coronavirus Safety Tips For Returning To the Gym