4 SUNDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2020
Tracking an Outbreak
0 NThe coronavirus has made a routine
trip to the gym feel like a health threat.
Many epidemiologists consider gyms
to be among the highest-risk envi-
ronments, and they were some of the last
businesses to reopen in New York City in
early September.
Now gyms must comply with a long
list of regulations. Checking in requires a
health screening; masks are mandatory,
even during the most strenuous work-
outs; only one-third of normal occupan-
cy is allowed; and everyone must clean,
then clean some more.
At a Planet Fitness in Brooklyn, Di-
nara Izmagambetova, who wore a floral
black face mask and had a sheen of sweat
after completing a two-hour workout,
said she was thrilled to be back in a gym.
But safety measures had made it a less
sociable experience, she said.
“I could ask someone” how to use a
machine before the outbreak, Ms. Iz-
magambetova said. “Now I’m doing a lot
of Googling.”
Despite all the safety guidelines, some
fitness enthusiasts are reluctant to go
back and many have adapted to virtual
workouts and exercising outdoors. Sales
of fitness equipment like kettlebells and
Peloton bikes have skyrocketed as peo-
ple brought their workouts home.
Christopher Carbone plans to cancel
his membership at a Planet Fitness
branch near his home on Staten Island
because of concerns about people who
touch “the same equipment many times
and excess sweat and breathing in range
of others.”
Instead of going to the gym, Mr. Car-
bone will keep working out at home with
a small set of hand weights.
In normal times, gyms often served as
places of solace, where fitness buffs and
casual exercisers could sweat out the
stresses of the day.
Many former patrons are eager to re-
turn to their routines, and gym owners
desperately need their business.
But even as gyms have reopened, their
future remains unclear. Some of them
have had to shut down again after Gov.
Andrew M. Cuomo recently designated
parts of Brooklyn and Queens coronavi-
rus hot spots.
A Retro Fitness location in Rego Park,
Queens, formerly in one of Mr. Cuomo’s
“red zones,” expressed regret about clos-
ing on its Facebook page.
“We have done our best to stay open as
long as possible to serve you,” the post
said, adding, “We support the city/
county’s decision as being in the best in-
terest of our members, staff, and commu-
nity to help curb the spread of Coronavi-
rus.”
The gym was recently allowed to re-
open as some restrictions were eased.
Despite scientists’ concerns, infection
clusters connected to gyms in the United
States have been relatively rare so far,
though they have been reported in Ha-
waii and California.
“We’re not seeing outbreaks tied to
gyms as heavily as something like a bar
or school,” said Saskia Popescu, an epi-
demiologist from George Mason Univer-
sity.
Still, a number of the 2,000 or so gyms
in New York State and fitness centers
across the country face a fight for life. At
least one-fourth of the more than 40,
gyms in the United States could close by
the end of the year, according to the In-
ternational Health, Racquet and
Sportsclub Association, an industry
group. A study by Yelp said that more
than 2,600 already had.
Many of those that have closed are
smaller, independently owned busi-
nesses that have fewer resources than
large national chains like Planet Fitness,
L.A. Fitness and Equinox.
Marco Guanilo, who owns Momentum
Fitness on the Upper West Side of Man-
hattan, said he had struggled during the
long months he was closed, but that
about 50 percent of his business had re-
turned since he reopened.
Still, he was $300,000 in debt, much of
it from back rent payments he could not
pay. Mr. Guanilo said that he thought his
business would endure as long as he
could stay open. The recent state-im-
posed closures have made him anxious.
“I’m scared of another shutdown,” Mr.
Guanilo said, “because that will put us
under.”
While major chains may have deeper
pockets, many are also in dire straits.Gold’s Gym, 24 Hour Fitness and Town
Sports International — the parent com-
pany of New York Sports Clubs — have
all filed for bankruptcy.
Planet Fitness, which has more than
2,000 locations around the world and 40
in New York City, has also faced serious
challenges. Its revenue was down nearly
80 percent from the same period lastyear, according to the company’s second
quarter earnings report
Despite the bleak numbers, Chris Ron-
deau, Planet Fitness’s chief executive,
said the company has managed to
weather the pandemic.
“Cancels are a little bit higher, for
sure,” Mr. Rondeau said, but, he added,
“people are joining at the same clip they
were this time last year.”
Planet Fitness furloughed most of its
employees during the pandemic, but
about 85 percent of them have returned
to work and no locations closed, Mr. Ron-
deau said.
Across the country, states have im-
posed different regulations to reopen
gyms safely. Most require occupancy
limitations and at least six feet of social
distancing, though some states mandate
as much as 14 feet. Requirements for face
coverings vary.
Regulations differ even in the states
neighboring New York: New Jersey only
allows gyms to operate at 25 percent ca-
pacity, while Connecticut permits twice
that.
Before gyms in New York can reopen
they must undergo an inspection over
video with an official from the city’s
Health Department, showing that they
have posted safety plans, have spaced
machines apart and are using an up-to-
code air filtration system.
Fulfilling the requirements and stock-
piling cleaning supplies and personal
protective equipment can cost more than
$10,000, a significant burden after
months of inactivity.
As of the beginning of October, the cityhad inspected more than 1,000 gyms, and
only 11 had failed. Failing gyms can re-
open once they fix the issues they were
cited for. In-person inspections might be-
gin in the near future, officials said.
Dr. Popescu said she believed that “the
virtual approach” to inspections “is
frankly better than nothing, which is
what many have done.”
Whatever the risk factor, gyms are
certainly different these days.
On a recent weekend at a large Planet
Fitness branch in Brooklyn, a masked
greeter asked clients whether they had
coronavirus symptoms, then collected
their contact information.
Television screens flashed reminders
to disinfect workout stations, and every
other treadmill and elliptical machine
was blocked out with yellow-and-purple
signs that said, “We’re practicing social
fitnessing. This machine is not available
for use.” Even so, there were few people
working out.
One of them was Dana Fagan, a book-
keeper, 41, who said she was pleased by
the precautions being taken.
“I’m cleaning more — the whole thing
is wet and I’m fine with that,” she said
about disinfecting the equipment. “You
can never have enough.”
Mr. Guanilo’s boutique gym normally
offers group classes, physical therapy
and individual sessions with trainers.
The more controlled atmosphere at his
gym, where patrons have individual ses-
sions if they’re not in a group class, ap-
peals to people who are concerned about
infection, like Joshua Rubin, a 38-year-
old director at an accounting firm.
“There’s not people wandering around
using different machines,” Mr. Rubin
said. “There’s only two to three of us at a
time.”
Nearby, Jesse Damon, 46, stretched
his arms while a trainer verbally guided
him, keeping several feet away.
“They’re very safe here, this is a pri-
vate gym,” he said, adding that he went
to a gym in Wyoming during a visit in
June and “it was a lot of 20-year-olds not
wearing masks.’’
Fitness classes normally make up
nearly half of Mr. Guanilo’s income, but
the city still does not allow them indoors
because officials say they are too risky.
While he was shut, Mr. Guanilo was
able to recover some of his lost business
through virtual sessions and group fit-
ness classes in Central Park, which in-
volved hauling hundreds of pounds of
equipment on a hand truck.
Mr. Guanilo’s clients want him to suc-
ceed, but some are not comfortable re-
turning. Richard Stanger, a 70-year-old
business consultant, said he would not go
back to Momentum Fitness until there
was a reliable treatment for the virus.
“We all want life to return to normal,
and normal to me would be working out
with Marco,” Mr. Stanger said. “And I’m
hoping we get there, but I’m not opti-
mistic that we can get there before the
first of the year.”Some gym operators, like Marco Guanilo, who owns Momentum Fitness, have held outdoor classes in Central Park. “I’m scared of another shutdown,” he said, “because that will put us under.”
SARAH BLESENER FOR THE NEW YORK TIMESFITNESS
New Yorkers Are Relieved to Be Back at the Gym. Is It Safe?
At a Planet Fitness location in Brooklyn, face coverings are required.BRITTAINY NEWMAN FOR THE NEW YORK TIMESSome machines have been shut down to maintain social distancing.BRITTAINY NEWMAN FOR THE NEW YORK TIMESFew Clusters Linked,
But Future Is Uncertain
By DANIEL E. SLOTNIK
and MATTHEW SEDACCA.