Gyms can open indoor service in Sacramento, Yolo counties. How working out will be different
Fitness centers in Sacramento and Yolo counties can reopen for indoor operations, health officials announced Tuesday.
The announcement comes as the counties enter the “red” tier, which allows a handful of industries to reopen indoor businesses after they had to close to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
Gyms and fitness centers will be allowed to reopen for indoor operations with modifications and at 10% capacity, according to the guidelines released by the state.
To reopen, gym owners must space equipment at least 6 feet apart, with greater distancing for treadmills and other high-exertion aerobic fitness equipment, according to a state document. In addition, they must suspend high-contact activities, such as basketball games and races. Gyms must also perform increased sanitizing, train employees, add plexiglass when possible, and take other measures to prevent the spread of the virus.
Gyms in the region got to reopen indoors for several weeks in June and July, but since then have been able to hold only outdoor classes.
That was especially tough when unhealthy levels of particulate matter descended upon the Sacramento region due to the wildfires burning across Northern California, said Lenny Marandino, owner of CaliRoots Fit in West Sacramento.
“August was a brutal month,” Marandino said. “It left us in a position where we were having to cancel classes due to poor air quality and prioritizing safety of our members versus the benefits of working out.”
With wildfires again causing Sacramento area to get smoky, Marandino is glad to be able to open the gym again.
“It couldn’t come soon enough,” he said.
Normally, the end of the year is slow for gyms with the holidays approaching, Marandino said, but it seems like this year will be different. In the last few weeks, the gym has signed up many new members looking for a gym with a community feel where they can take small group classes and get some social interaction, he said.
“Every single one of them are saying, ‘I need something that gets me out of the house, gets me socializing and back to some level of normalcy,’” he said.
Rick Leonard, general manager of The Capital Athletic Club in downtown Sacramento, agreed.
“The crazy thing is people don’t realize the impact the exercise and socialization has on one’s overall health, mental and physical health,” Leonard said. “When members came back last time, it was almost like a family reunion. People seemed like they’d changed substantially.”
The club opened its outdoor swimming pool Tuesday and planned to open the showers at 3 p.m., Leonard said.
“Members will be really glad to know they can use the showers again,” he said with a laugh.
If the number of members exceeds 10% capacity, the club will start taking reservations to make sure it doesn’t get too crowded.
Dana Fleischman, general manager of Fitness Rangers, a gym in East Sacramento, said he was also glad to get the news gyms could reopen indoors, but that the requirement to operate at 10% capacity will be difficult.
“That’ll be tough, but hopefully it’ll be kind of a step in the right direction,” Fleischman said.
The gym has been offering about 80 classes a week outdoors and and will likely soon offer a mix of indoor and outdoor activities, he said.
California Family Fitness is keeping six of its 16 gyms in Sacramento County closed, because they are near a location that’s open, and is allowing members to visit any location, said Randy Karr, president and CEO. The gyms that will stay closed are those in downtown Sacramento, Citrus Heights, North Highlands, McClellan Park, the Pocket and in Carmichael at 7941 Fair Oaks Blvd.
The other 10 locations in the county, which were open for outdoor operations, are now open for indoor and outdoor operations, Karr said.
“Ten percent capacity in our business is not enough to operate so I have no other choice but to do a hybrid (indoor-outdoor),” Karr said.
Sacramento County plans to release additional guidelines later this week, a county spokeswoman said.
24 Hour Fitness, a chain that has several gyms in Sacramento County, is waiting for the additional guidelines from the county before announcing its plan.
Marandino and Leonard agreed that they hope this time, the indoor reopening will be for good.
Just as it’s been hard to hold classes outdoors in the summer heat, it will be even harder to hold them in the winter cold, Marandino said.
“I am cautiously optimistic,” Marandino said.
Capitol Bureau reporter Sophia Bollag contributed to this report.
This story was originally published September 29, 2020 at 2:48 PM.
