Reopening Your Fitness Centre 

Fitness centre reopening will take place in stages during Phase 3 in BC. Now is the time for property managers to start looking at their own framework for reopening so the sites are ready and, most importantly, safe. Reopening will comply with the most up-to-date information from national, provincial, and local authorities, especially with respect to physical distancing guidelines and enhanced cleaning. In advance of the fitness centre openings, protocols will need to be established and communicated clearly. 

Communication
Fitness centre users will need to act in accordance with the appropriate guidelines that promote safe physical distancing and ensure they feel safe in their environment while exercising. As of the date of this paper, aside from the physical distancing and maximum group distancing laws, further policies and guidelines will need to be established. Keep tuned to government initiatives as they are evolving daily or contact your fitness and wellness provider for updates. Consider the following points and how you will communicate any applicable information to your tenants in advance. Whatever methods of communication you choose (i.e. video, email campaign, signage), clear and concise messaging can demonstrate appropriate behaviour and give your tenants confidence that it is safe to return to the fitness centre and related programs.

Physical Distancing
How will you limit the number of people in the facility at once, and how will this be monitored and enforced? When clubs in China first reopened, members could reserve access in 90-minute time blocks and staff cleaned the club between these appointments. Based on our government guidelines, staff will need to be factored into the number of people in the fitness centres. For fitness centres that are open to employees and tenants only, a 60-minute time block (30 minutes between for cleaning) may be more reasonable to accommodate employees and allow for more time slots during open hours. Facility operating hours will likely need to be adjusted to meet operating hours and you may always consider staffing during all open hours to ensure the safety of the members. In addition to the two-metre (six-feet) physical distancing guidelines, keeping with other retailers open now such as grocery stores, you may consider directional indicators to keep a safe flow in the facility.

Group Fitness
Depending on the size and layout of your facility, you may choose to open group fitness classes once the authorities given the go ahead. According to “Life Time”, facilities should hold classes with a limited capacity, using dedicated equipment to be cleaned between classes and markers on the floor to maintain physical distancing. (Life Time 2020). If classes are user-fee only and rely on their own revenue to operate a breakeven budget will help determine the number of participants needed to run the class, along with the physical distancing rules.

What about virtual services?
Many businesses will be opening with modified on-site schedules. If your facility is managed by a corporate fitness company, then virtual training, online classes, webinars and challenges will address the needs of those who may not be able to attend in person.

How will you enforce physical distancing while using equipment?
There are several options: Fitness centres may place signs over every other machine or be required to change equipment layout. Reducing the number of pieces of same-type equipment will assist with distancing while not reducing service. 

Cleaning & Sanitation
How often will surfaces and equipment be cleaned? An outline of cleaning protocols and a cleaning schedule will help coordinate staffing and supply needs. Each user is expected to wipe down equipment after use and cleaning staff can do a thorough clean between each timeslot, and again overnight. Increased cleaning and hand sanitizing stations will help ensure safety and minimize virus transmission.

Are there any hard-to-clean items you should remove from the floor? Bands, yoga blocks, yoga mats, towels for stretching, and certain types of foam rollers etc. should all be removed. These items are porous and difficult to sanitize. 

How will facilities staff be protected? Staff should be provided with and required to wear gloves or face coverings. Authority policies will continue to evolve around this.

Will you require fitness centre users to wear PPE, such as a face cover? The CDC now recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain. (CDC 2019)

How will you communicate and enforce good cleaning practices? For the safety of all, your tenants will be required to apply safe hygiene practices to clean their equipment and space before and after use and wash hands regularly. What can you put in place to make good cleaning and good personal hygiene practices easy for them?

Operations
How will you time the reopening of different sections of your fitness centre? In China, clubs reopened the main facilities (and bathrooms) in phase one while locker rooms and showers remained closed. The government will help with phased opening guidelines, which the fitness centre operator will need to comply with and identify the segments of your fitness centre you plan to open first with a timeline to open each area. At this time of this paper, details have not yet been released on a plan to fit the best scenarios. 

What about outdoor spaces? Through the next phases of reopening, gatherings of more than 50 are not allowed. If your facility has an outdoor space where fitness classes can take place and you wish to use that space, groups should be kept small and clear boundaries need to be marked to ensure physical distancing. Be sure to refer to the terms of your liability insurance and that of your provider before delivering services outside. 

Do you need to make any upgrades to address a change in services? For the reopening phases, a reservation and appointment booking system may be required to regulate and safely accommodate user numbers at one time. If you decide that tenants need to book a time slot to visit the club, do you have the resources to support this? Will members self-book, call/email to reserve a time, or use an app? Your fitness management provider should be able to help with that.

End of Trip Accommodation for Cyclists. If your facility provides space for cyclists to change, increased cleaning supplies as well as increased cleaning by facility staff will be required. Clear communication regarding expectations while using space should be posted, i.e. limit the number of people at one time, maintain physical distance, and wipe down all surfaces after use. 

What about residential tenants?
The same points can be applied to residential fitness facilities. 

• Gym equipment can be removed or blocked off to increase distancing, equipment that is difficult to sanitize should be locked away or removed.
• Physical distance markers can be placed on the floors and equipment.
• Increased cleaning products and stations located throughout.
• Signage requiring users to clean each piece of equipment used, practice good personal hygiene and stay at home if sick.
• Number of users should be limited and based on the square footage.
• Apply a workout booking system to control the numbers in the space.
• Clear communication of rules should be distributed to tenants, posted in common areas if applicable, posted upon entry, and throughout the facility. 

This is a time unlike no other and creating a safe and effective framework to move forward will not only protect your people but protect your business. 

For more information contact info@curtishealth.com.