Gyms, fitness centers and athletic facilities statewide will be allowed to reopen on Monday, with numerous stipulations forced by the COVID-19 pandemic, Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Thursday, a decision that pleased most local gym owners and fitness trainers, and has left some local gym patrons torn.
"I think it's important to encourage people to get back out, we want to be cautious, we want to practice our social distancing and everything the governor set forth, but I think it's good for people to get out and get back into gyms, I think it's part of feeling better," Joey Williams, an instructor at 30FIT Fitness, 281 Lake Hamilton Drive, said.
Abby Brenneman and her husband, Julio Garcia, both consistent gym-goers, have different stances on how safe they think it would be to start attending gyms as soon as Monday.
Brenneman, who said she worked out at Planet Fitness, 3310 Central Ave., about five days a week pre-pandemic, said she would not feel safe going back to the facility just yet.
"With that being said the fear is not like necessarily for myself, but it's for others, and I don't feel like it would be responsible for me to go back, responsible for the people I interact with on a regular basis, because I don't see how there's a possible way that you could open it up and safely not spread germs," she said. "Although, I will say, it will be very tempting. And I think that's the biggest take-away I have from it is that a lot of people are going to be really tempted to go, even though they know that they probably shouldn't."
Brenneman noted that although Planet Fitness is the only gym she has been to that has been "really clean," she would still not feel safe going.
"It's not like you can wear a mask and gloves and it's going to protect you; you can't wear a mask, really, because you'd probably pass out from not being able to breathe," she said.
Garcia, who said he worked out at Pulse Premier Fitness, 1337 Albert Pike Road, about five days a week pre-pandemic, said he would feel safe going back to the facility starting Monday, adding that he thinks the guidelines are "a little extreme."
"I thought that 12 feet apart is quite a long distance, but if the doctors think that's the best thing to do, I'll feel glad for the gyms to go ahead and open up because for people who like to exercise, going without a gym for a month or so, that's a long time," he said.
Garcia said he understands the guidelines being implemented in group workouts or classes but does not find it to be necessary in every instance.
"Classes like Zumba or (spin) class or something like CrossFit, things like that having a bunch of people together in a close space I think that will be a problem, but like weightlifting, I don't think that will be that big of a problem because everyone will have their own little space where they are working out anyway," he said.
Gyms and fitness centers must meet the following criteria to resume operations on Monday, according to a news release later in the day from the governor's office:
• Screening must be completed on entry for all staff and participants. Those who have any of the following characteristics should not be allowed to enter: returned from travel to New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, New Orleans or overseas within the last 14 days; have had a fever of 100.4 degrees or greater in the past two days; have a cough, difficulty breathing, sore throat, or loss of taste or smell; had contact with a person known to be infected with COVID-19 within the previous 14 days; or have compromised immune systems and/or have chronic diseases.
• Staff members should wear a face covering or mask at all times. Patrons should wear a face covering except when actively exercising.
• Prohibit the use of pools, spas, showers, saunas, etc. at this time. Locker rooms are to be used only for storage of personal items. Maintain physical distancing while in locker rooms.
• Hand sanitizer should be available throughout the facility.
• Staff members should ensure that all exercise machines or equipment are sanitized after each use (via wipe-down with disposable disinfectant wipes, Lysol or the equivalent).
• Maintain proper spacing from others by working out with 12 feet between each person. This may require closing or moving some equipment.
• Avoid personal contact at all times, including hand shaking.
• Individual training sessions, indoor group fitness classes, and workouts that require a partner must maintain 12 foot spacing between each person at this time.
The 12-foot spacing is "important because when you're exercising you're exhaling to a greater extent and the typical breathing goes beyond the 6 feet, so we want to have a little bit extra protective measurement there," Hutchinson said.
Williams said his initial reaction to the governor's announcement is exciting for his 30FIT Fitness trainees.
"We can get back, at least to a certain extent, to our community gyms and get back to work helping people," Williams said. "The people I get to teach, they're like friends and family, so we've all been ready to get back in there and get back to work. So (I'm) apprehensive, but excited."
He said he plans to start back training at 5:30 a.m. Monday, planning to screen trainees "per the governor's rules," by taking temperatures, limiting class numbers to a maximum of 10 and measuring out a 12-foot distance between training mats.
"We're big on sanitizing, so when every class is done we wipe everything down, we get everything cleaned up, and we already had those practices in place before this happened, so we're going to jump right into it; I'm not afraid," Williams said. "I think if we take the proper precautions that (are) set forth, I think everyone is at a minimal risk."
Hot Springs YMCA CEO Pete Davin said he was initially surprised, but pleased, by the governor's decision to reopen gyms starting Monday.
Rather than Monday, the YMCA, 130 Werner St., will reopen on Wednesday, giving staff time to gather supplies to keep staff and members safe, Davin said.
"Our cleaning supplies, face masks, gloves, disinfectant and hand disinfectant, those types of things, we just need to make sure that we've got supplies," he said. "We haven't been able to get masks or gloves; we've ordered those, but they're all on a delay."
As for precautions, Davin said YMCA will be asking members if they have traveled or been around someone infected with COVID-19, staff will wear face coverings, staff will sanitize all equipment before and after use, staff will "police" for social distancing, and there won't be any group classes.
He also noted he was disappointed in the governor's decision not to authorize pool openings.
"I actually think the pool is one of the safer places to be, from an exercise standpoint, as we can create social distancing in the pool, it's a large space," Davin said, but added that the YMCA pool is currently drained to be repainted, repaired, and will be refilled and ready to open when the governor says.
Hutchinson noted in his news conference that regardless of the opening of any facility or building, social restrictions are still in place.
"Just because we're lifting some restrictions and opening up opportunities for us to start moving back to a more normal, we still want to maintain our downward curve, we want to be able to reduce the spread in Arkansas, and to do that we have to have everyone appropriately socially distant, we need everybody to still take this very seriously," he said. " ... It's all up to us individually and collectively as to whether we make progress and be able to open more up, or whether we are not successful and we have to retreat."
Local on 05/01/2020