Before the last closure some of my fellow gym users were less than cooperative with masks. The regulations said you needed to wear a mask when “not exercising.” As the last wave ramped up I quit going because of the stupidity.
Upon the recent re-opening almost everyone is wearing masks 100% of the time. Let’s see what happens.
I would offer that few gyms police their members mask use because of lack of staff. When I complained to gym staff they gave me a sympathetic look and said some people were selfish. The fitness industry bitches and complains about closures, but does little to make sure members “tow the line”. Having one additional staff member working as “enforcer” at all times would not hurt their bottom line as much as 90 day closures.
Outdoor exercise is safer by far, but there are still loads of people hiking in large groups unmasked. Social distancing is a foreign concept in country parks.
In my gym, I'd say it's at least 80% unmasked and it's not required. A few older folks wearing masks and virtually no one under thirty masked up.
We go to Go24 and everyone is in masks. Majority of the crowds there are under 30. In the past three weeks the worst I’ve seen is one person with their mask below their nose. Everyone entering leaves their phone number, and from what I’ve seen most use the LeaveHomeSafe app. It just depends on the place.
It seems to make sense as a business to try to protect it by clients to wear masks and it may very well have been the case at the Ursus gym. All that I can see is that it seems quite small and cramped and possibly not well ventilated. Perhaps it will send a strong message too ther gyms to be careful. With the repeated closures this year, I don't think any of them need this kind of publicity and another closure.
I do think that the government is dropping the ball by allowing exercise dispensation of masks indoor while exercising. It carries far more risks than sitting in an office.
I actually have no problem with gyms opening. Not my personal cup of tea but life has to get back to some sort of normality by degrees. The same could be said for anywhere that is open or reopening, the risk of an outbreak is possible just as it would be with any other communicable illness. I do hope for the gym goers among us there is no knee jerk restriction.
the part I would struggle with is the lack of mask wearing when not exercising. I would equate it to being on a plane alongside non mask wearing passengers. Don’t rely on staff to enforce, speak up and insist. On my flight a couple of times other passengers asked people to put on their mask even though the flight was only 1/3 full. People complied. The only knob in the discussion is the person that refuses to wear the mask.
I still harbour a vain hope that government will force capacity and social distancing restrictions on malls and shops. I realise this wouldn’t be 100 percent effective and the risks are minimal but signs up, distancing markers on floor and a little bit of a change of behaviour with shoppers are jus small measures that would help as part of an all round Covid behaviour strategy.
This dam gym cluster now affecting my kids school.
You can safely exercise outside. Why are gyms allowed to open ?
@BCD we also somehow randomly have become aware of it, too.