Operators of area gyms and fitness centers say they are taking extra precautions to impede the spread of the coronavirus since reopening their facilities this month.
Members of the Schuylkill YMCA will notice changes and new policies when entering the building on North Centre Street in Pottsville. Temperature checks are conducted at the entrance and everyone is required to wear a face mask in the building, but not when exercising, CEO Amanda Karenda said Monday. She said staff are ramping up cleaning and social distancing efforts.
The facility closed March 16 amidst the pandemic and reopened June 22.
Moreover, members must bring their own water, towels and other workout materials, and are responsible for cleaning equipment before and after each use.
Joe Gudinas, co-owner of Xtreme Fitness on North Front Street in Saint Clair, said he always pushed gym users to wipe down equipment, but is emphasizing they do it more during the pandemic. He also bought huge buckets of sanitation wipes and more hand sanitizer. The gym, which Gudinas co-owns with his stepfather, Dennis Kristoff, reopened Monday with modified hours. It closed March 15.
“We didn’t want to open full time to overload the place,” Gudinas said. “We’re running on a condensed schedule to protect the members.”
At The Cage in Schuylkill Haven, owner Kristy Touchinsky said she always sanitized her gym on West Penn Street, but is doing it more since reopening June 19, using ProKure every other day to clean. She also vacuums and sanitizes the turf field every other day and, with an 85,000-square-foot gym, she said there is “plenty of room” for members to stay socially distant.
“I’ve been adjusting pretty well,” she said.
Touchinsky said she tries to tell gym-goers about guidance from the CDC, including recommendations that face masks be worn going in and out of the gym — but not while exercising — and maintaining six feet of space between people.
After being closed since March 16, the Schuylkill Racquet Club and Fitness Center off Route 61 in North Manheim Township reopened June 22 and owner Renee Delong said they are abiding by all recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on operating gyms. They include social distancing, and disinfecting and sanitizing equipment before and after each use. In addition, the facility is operating at 50% capacity and members are recommended to wear face masks when coming in and out of the facility, not when exercising. She said the facility can accommodate social distancing with the large gyms and courts there.
Registration is required for all activities and group training and it can be done by phone or sending a message to the facility’s Facebook page. Senior citizens can use the facility for exercising from 11 a.m. to noon Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
Group classes resume, camp canceled
Group fitness classes and gymnastics practice at the YMCA started back up this week and the summer swim team began practicing at the JFK Pool last week, Karenda said. But the number of people allowed in the classes is limited, with registration done at the facility.
People have started to come back to The Cage, Touchinsky said, with fitness classes resuming this week.
Fitness classes are offered at Xtreme Fitness for senior citizens, children, men, women and teens, but Gudinas said none are occurring this week as he wants to open slowly. Before the pandemic, there were normally six or more classes a day in martial arts, tumbling, boxing, wrestling, cardio kickboxing, boxing and low-impact Zumba.
“We’re taking a step back to see how things go,” he said.
When Schuylkill County moved into the green phase of reopening, Gudinas said he didn’t want to “jump the gun” resuming operations right away.
“I’m trying to be cautious,” he said. “There’s no sense of risking people’s health to reopen.”
Delong said people are starting to rent facilities, and fitness classes, group and individual training started this week.
While operations have resumed at the YMCA, Karenda said the pandemic meant the yearly summer day camp had to be canceled. This year, 10-week camp was supposed to be held at the Frackville borough building, the Saint Clair Area Elementary/Middle School and the former Union Hall building in Minersville.
Financial hit
While gym-goers are back to the no-pain-no-gain routine, financially, coronavirus has been just pain and loss to gym owners.
Karenda said the decision to not take membership dues for April, May and June “hit us hard.” She estimates the organization lost $19,000 in revenue in the three months the building was closed, most of which came from membership dues.
Membership dues were also frozen at the Schuylkill Racquet Club and Fitness Center. Prior to the pandemic, Delong said the facilty was “doing really well” financially, with revenue in March doubling from that of last year.
“We were looking forward to a roaring 2020, but the pandemic hit us like a ton of bricks,” she said.
Gudinas said the pandemic has been “pretty severe” for him financially. Until state officials launched a page for those self-employed to collect unemployment compensation, he said was unable to file.
Since closing in March, Touchinsky said she tried to apply for loans and grants for small businesses, but “got nothing” that she applied for at the height of the pandemic.
‘Thrilled’
With gyms and fitness centers allowed to resume operations when the county is in the green phase of reopening, the operators say members are eager to get back.
Delong said her members are coming back, with more people coming back than she anticipated.
“They’re thrilled,” she said.
Gudinas said in talking to his members, it seemed like many of them want to resume classes but a few have expressed hesitation.
“Some have said that due to health concerns they don’t want to leave their house,” he said. “I support those that want to come in and those that want to wait.”
Going to the gym, Gudinas added, isn’t just about getting physically in shape, but also mentally.
Karenda said people are “definitely” coming back to the YMCA, adding it seems more members are returning this week compared to last week.
“We’re happy they’re coming back,” she said.
Contact the writer: clee@republicanherald.com; 570-628-6028; @Cleespot on Twitter