Cleveland Gym, Fitness Centers Consider Safety Options Ahead Of Reopening

A group of 18 gyms and fitness centers around Cleveland are developing plans for reopening while keeping customers as safe as possible from the coronavirus.

But so far, there’s no word from the governor’s office on when those facilities will get permission to begin operating.

The Cleveland-area business owners met earlier this week to discuss sanitation and instruction methods to limit possible coronavirus spread, said Maureen Eppich, owner of Jump Start Gymnastics. Some of the standards recommended prevention methods, like masks, won’t work in a fitness setting, Eppich said, so the group is discussing other options.

“If you’ve ever tried to do jumping jacks for five minutes with a mask on, it’s not easy,” Eppich said.

Other possible safety measures include staggered class times, limiting the number of customers inside facilities, or screening customers for symptoms including checking temperatures before they can enter, Eppich said. But masks are still a point of concern.

“That’s probably our biggest challenge in opening, because people are concerned about the breathing and the air and the sweat,” she said.

The goal of the discussions is to ensure whatever methods are chosen are consistent across the various businesses, she said.

“Set a standard so we have the same thing going across the board. Make us stronger as a fitness community,” Eppich said. “I think it will establish a much clearer, much better line of trust moving forward that we care about our clients.”

Having that standard could also help reduce confusion, Eppich said.

“We don’t want somebody to walk into Jump Start and say, ‘I didn’t have to do that down the street,’” Eppich said.

Jump Start is also surveying its clients to find out what they’d like to see when the facility is permitted to open again, Eppich said.

Gyms and fitness centers are not included in the state’s list of businesses in Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine’s first phases of reopening and it is not yet clear when they will be able to reopen their doors.

But the facilities promote health and wellness, Eppich said, and offer opportunities for socialization across all ages. Virtual options just aren’t the same, she said, and in-person fitness activities are particularly important for young children enrolled in classes with their peers, who are learning to form bonds and relationships outside their families Eppich said.

“These virtual classes are beautiful and I love them,” Eppich said. “I think they have their place. But they can’t take the place of that interpersonal relationship.”