Georgia gym reopenings: Here's what members might see during workouts as states reopen businesses

Gyms in Georgia are preparing to gradually open their floors to members as the state restarts many businesses shuttered by the coronavirus pandemic.

The reopenings follow Gov. Brian Kemp's announcement that gyms, tattoo parlors, hair and nail salons, massage therapists and other services will be allowed to reopen Friday, less than a month after the state forced them to close amid COVID-19 outbreaks.

So what should members eager to revive their exercise routines expect?

The Gold’s Gym chain is reopening four locations in McDonough, Augusta and Dacula, Georgia, on Friday. Two more will open in the state Monday. This comes after the chain temporarily closed its locations across the country last month to slow the spread of the virus, and also launched on-demand video workouts.Gold's permanently closed over 30 locations because of COVID-19.

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Limited equipment

In the first phase of the reopening, gym members can use only the cardio and strength equipment areas. Group training, child care and the usage of basketball courts will remain off limits during this phase. Members can also expect a per-person cap based on the square footage of the gym.

The gym will also require breaks in service.

“We’re going to have an intermission every day in each gym. For one hour in the early afternoon, we’re going to stop ... members from coming in and do an all-around cleaning,” Gold’s Gym CEO and President Adam Zeitsiff told USA TODAY.

\The second phase would allow gyms to reach 50% capacity and restart group classes with floor markers indicating where each gym member should stand. No date has been set for phase two.

The final phase would involve resuming normal operations. No timeline has been set for this phase. 

The gym chain Anytime Fitness is also taking similar measures to promote social distancing in their facilities.

“Anytime Fitness has provided sanitation and safety protocols to the club owners, including strict adherence to social distancing practices, online scheduling that limits club access to reserved times, gym capacity caps, signage and floor markers, as well as enhanced cleaning, sanitation, and staff safety practices,” Anytime Fitness said in a statement. “Even at a state level, these decisions will be made on a case-by-case basis, from one club location to the next, by each owner.” 

Gloves encouraged

In Columbus, Georgia, local gym Oates All Fitness is taking precautions like those at larger chains. While co-owner Sherry Green is pressing customers to wear gloves during their workouts, she is being lenient about them wearing masks. 

"To ask people to wear is just not going to happen," Green told USA TODAY. "There’s no way people can wear and workout, it’s not realistic."

The gym is limiting capacity to 12 people at a time and sanitizing equipment every 30 minutes. The gym has a capacity of 100 people and, during its peak times, it would hold over 40 people. 

For Green, buying disinfectant sprays has been a struggle. 

“I have a lady coming that hand makes sprays from her home," Green said. "I’m going to use that to help because I can’t get my hands on anything else. I spent two or three hours on the internet and it’s just not out there."

Green is also asking customers to apply the hand sanitizer she keeps on the counter as they enter the gym. The filtered water fountain will also be available to clients during their workouts.  

Hourly cleaning

In Montana, Gov. Steve Bullock announced a phased reopening plan that allows church services to resume April 26 and retail businesses April 27 "if they can adhere to requirements to limit capacity and maintain strict physical distancing."

Fuel Fitness in Helena, Montana, will make people disinfect their hands as they enter and provide clients with wipes to clean their phones.

The fitness center will also turn on every other cardio machine to maintain 6 feet of distance between attendees.

“We are going to have a timer that goes off every hour that lets the staff know it’s time to sanitize frequently used areas, and we’ll have one staff member constantly cleaning,” said Heather Sappington, general manager for Fuel Fitness.