Fitness Clubs To Face Unique Challenges Once California Reopens For Business
PLEASANTON (CBS SF) -- The rules businesses will need to follow in order to reopen once coronavirus restrictions are lifted in California could be especially stringent for fitness clubs.
When gyms get the green light to open back up, operators and patrons can expect to see some new changes.
Teralyn Fredricks has turned her garage into a gym, but she is ready to get back into her regular crossfit gym.
"I'm ready to go back. I work out better in a group, said Fredricks.
No doubt people have gotten inventive with their home facilities. But Dennis Dumas, owner of Omni Fight Club, says he can't wait to get his members back in the gym again and not just from the revenue aspect.
"This is the place where you get your immunity," Dumas said. "This is the place where you get your body strong, and so this is part of the treatment. This is part of the solution. I think that postponing long term our ability to serve our clients is taking away from a large part of the solution."
Dumas told KPIX 5 that gaining consumer confidence will be key. He is devising new health and sanitation measures to insure his members stay healthy when gym doors open again. He says he hopes other gyms follow suit.
"Hand sanitizer at each station, wipes available at each station, class size limited to 30 people, depending on the studio obviously," explained Dumas.
He said he will increase his deep cleaning services, enforce social distancing for patrons during workouts, continue to offer online classes to encourage members to stay home when sick and invest in new temperature reading technology right as members walk through the gym's front doors.
"There is technology that will measure your temperature," said Dumas. "It's a scan and tells the front desk person; if you are over you can't come in. So that will be future technology implemented into the space .
Fredricks says she isn't too concerned about getting back inside her gym once the shelter in place order is lifted.
"On a daily basis, he goes through and sprays most of our workout [spaces]. We aren't right next to each other. When we are on our pull ups, we're on our own bar, and on a rower we're on our own rower," said Fredricks. "So I'm not too concerned about it once it's lifted, because he's pretty good about sanitizing."
Dumas says he was hoping to get more of a definitive answer during Gavin Newsom's press conference when he talked about reopening California. Dumas said he doesn't want it to happen too soon, but would like some sort of timeline.
