If hitting the gym is part of your weekly schedule, the coronavirus may have put a big kink in your treadmill.
Many health clubs are closed down to prevent any potential spread of the virus, while others have decided to stay open. Even if your gym is open, you may not want to go.
On Wednesday, The YMCA in Concord shut down for at least two weeks. Planet Fitness, Strive cycling, and Jeremy’s Bootcamp are among those that have closed.
“Without question, our top priority has been the health and well-being of our members and employees – and to no lesser extent the health and well-being of the communities where we operate,” Concord YMCA CEO Jim Doremus said in a statement. “We know each decision we make has a broad impact far beyond our operations.”
At other facilities, like the Health Club of Concord off Manchester Street, the Zoo Health Club at the Steeplegate Mall and 43 Degrees North on Hall Street, the doors are open.
“We are working tirelessly to provide a clean and welcoming environment for all of our members,” 43 Degrees North said on its website. “We are currently open regular hours and all classes are on!”
Generally, the state’s health officials have asked people to reduce non-essential travel and have taken unprecedented steps to shut down schools, restaurants, and even the state’s ski area.
Note that enclosed gyms should be approached with caution by those seeking to avoid the coronavirus, which is most often transmitted when carried on aerosol droplets from a person’s coughing or sneezing that float in the air, and which can survive for up to half an hour.
The virus can last for hours on surfaces and lasts up to 72 hours on hard, non-porous surfaces such as metal and plastic, according to research released this week. That makes it particularly important that barbells and gym equipment are thoroughly cleaned every time they are used.
At the Zoo, they asked people to take certain steps to help keep the gym open and safe, including washing hands before and after a workout, wiping down equipment with disinfectant wipes before and after use, practicing good personal hygiene, and using every other piece of equipment to create adequate social distancing.
Planet Fitness closed on Tuesday and hopes to reopen on April 1. The business said it would credit its members for the time the gym was closed.
Several gyms are going online.
Planet Fitness said it was hosting “Home Work-Ins” – a series of free fitness classes for everyone – that will be streamed live daily on its Facebook page at 7 p.m. There is no equipment needed and all classes will be 20 minutes or less, it said.
Likewise, Jeremy Woodward from Jeremy’s Bootcamp is sending Facebook invites to his clients so he can post daily workouts online.
The YMCA said it will continue to pay its employees and asked its members not to cancel: “We sincerely apologize to you and our other members but as you know these are unprecedented, challenging times for everyone. We will continue to navigate these uncharted waters with our members, our employees and our communities remaining our highest priority. We will continue to listen to your feedback – and continue to make the best decisions we can for everyone’s well-being.”
