(Seguin) – Today is the day to dust off your gym bag. That’s because gym facilities are the among the latest list of operations that can reopen as part of Governor Greg Abbott’s Open Texas Plan.
Like most operations, gym facilities and studios will be mandated to operate at 25 percent capacity.
Doors have already opened over at the Guadalupe Regional Wellness Center. Assistant Director Nicole Bruton says they understand the facility plays an important part in the community. She says a large percentage of the population really relies on the facility and its pool to get daily movement and to maintain their healthy lifestyles.
She says thanks to input from the hospital’s senior team members, the Wellness Center has put into place all the required safety measures to keep its members safe.
“The main change that our members are going to notice is going to be our capacity. We are going to adhere to the capacity percentage outlined by Governor Abbot knowing that changes are going to happen. Things are changing rapidly so as of May 18, when we open, the percentage outlined for us is 25 percent so we have gone ahead and looked at each are of our facilities — figured out what the max capacity is there and then picked a safe number that will allow for people to utilize the equipment or the area but also continue social distancing. For example, our cardio room, we have a capacity of 12 listed. We’ve gone ahead and made signs for each area so that our members know exactly how many people are allowed. We’ve blocked every other machine off to make sure that there is six feet in between. So, our main goal was to have most of the work done for our members so they could walk in and know that what they are doing is safe. They don’t have to worry about any of that. We’ve taken care of that,” said Bruton.
Bruton says they don’t expect the capacity limit to be a problem and believes there will be plenty of opportunity to get in a full workout.
“We are going to do first come first serve. Now again that could be something that changes. But the great news is because we are open 5 a.m. to 9 p.m., we were never really operating at 100 percent capacity every hour of the day. We obviously have peak times, Mondays especially, the mornings especially are busy, but we do just recommend first come, first serve. We do have holding areas in each area of the Wellness Center that again allows for six feet in between so if for some reason, someone was to come in and every area of the facility was full as well as the holding areas, we will ask them to return at a later time.
Also back in operation at the Wellness Center is the Parisi Speed School. Bruton says staffers are ready to welcome back children and adults for team training.
“Those classes will resume because they are in a different facility all together that allows for a much larger capacity so we feel safe that our class members which generally range between 8 to 12 can safely self-distance within the classes there. They will be coming back. They will be doing the same measures that the Wellness Center is doing which includes a screening at the door. They will have their temperature taken with a forehead thermometer. They, of course, will have symptoms listed on the door so if you are experiencing them, are new or worsening, we are going to ask that you stay at home until those have resolved as well as if you’ve had contact with anyone who is COVID-19 positive, then you need to follow guidelines from the health department so you can’t come until you are cleared there,” said Bruton.
In addition to social distancing, Bruton says members will also notice new safety precautions when utilizing the equipment.
“Once you are inside, one change that they can expect in Parisi especially is that any equipment that is going to be used in that class will be sanitized ahead of time, laid out six feet apart and then of course, sanitized after the class. So, whereas before you might do a circuit where you used the same rower as the person before or the same kettle bell — that’s not going to be the case anymore. All of the circuits will be self-contained so you will have your own specific set of equipment,” said Bruton.
The startup of group classes at the Wellness Center, however, will have to wait until June 1. Bruton says staff wants to get everyone used to the new procedures before diving into the various fitness groups and classes. Members at the Wellness Center should also expect to see staffers wearing masks. Members will only be required to wear mask as they are screened at the front door.
Like the Wellness Center, most other gyms in Seguin are also back in business today and have also implemented the safety guidelines and procedures needed to reopen. Gym members are encouraged to contact their respective gym or visit their social media site for any details before returning to the facility for their normal workout routine.