Gyms sweat out COVID-19 closure, press for early reopening

CONCORD — A health club industry that has been sweating out coronavirus-related closures is pressing for a return to business this month.

“We are requesting preferably a May 18 opening,” Michael Benton, owner of Executive Health & Sport Center in Manchester, told a governor’s task force on Tuesday.

He said gyms typically draft member bank accounts monthly to get the bulk of their revenue but haven’t been able to do so since a governor’s closure of non-essential businesses in March.

“Many are on the brink of insolvency,” Benton said.

He noted that Gold’s Gym, which has 700 clubs worldwide, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

In an interview Tuesday, Brandon Borghi, owner of Fit Focus in downtown Laconia, said he and his brother have been working to be ready for a reopening, including increasing distance between exercise machines, requesting masks and making sure they have adequate sanitation supplies.

“I was preparing to be ready for reopening on May 1,” he said. “We’ve been working straight out. We’ve done a deep clean of positively everything. The club will be tremendously clean.”

He said people should be happy to return and will benefit from improving their fitness level.

“Being in good physical shape is good for folks,” Borghi said. “A lot of the folks who have been dying had underlying conditions. In America, our biggest underlying condition is obesity. Having a place for people to maintain health, mental and physical, is important.”

Janine Page, who runs The Downtown Gym and Wellness Center, said her club has been holding virtual fitness classes, but the closure has taken its toll.

“We’re a small business and we operate on a shoestring quite a bit,” she said. “I don’t know how much longer we can maintain this.”

She has a plan in place to hold some of her classes outdoors once the governor lifts the business restriction.

Page said some people initially might be hesitant to return to athletic clubs.

“But that might make this a good time to reopen, less crowds if you will,” she said.

“We just want to help everybody stay healthy and sane.”

Benton, in his presentation to the Governor’s Economic Re-Opening Task Force, said that while the athletic clubs are closed, many of their expenses have continued such as loan payments, equipment rentals and utility costs.

Many clubs have loyal members who would be expected to pay dues through bank account drafts as soon as the businesses reopen, Benton said.

He presented a set of protocols emphasizing physical distancing that would prevent the disease from spreading.

Small spaces such as sauna and steam rooms would be closed. Sports such as basketball and racquetball would be prohibited. Members would have their temperatures taken upon arrival.

“The majority of the facilities I have spoken to feel they can meet these guidelines,” Benton said.

“We feel very strongly that we can provide state Health and Human Services with all the information to validate that we can operate safely.”

A task force working group will examine the industry proposal, which will ultimately be vetted by health officials and Gov. Chris Sununu.

Chris Emond, a task force member who is chief executive officer of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Central New Hampshire, said athletic clubs are used to keeping clean facilities.

“I’ve used Planet Fitness for years,” he said. “Their cleaning regimen was really good before there was a pandemic and I can only imagine what it will be like afterward.

“I think it is a partnership between the clubs and the customers to keep it clean.”

Benton said in his presentation that customers would check in at the front desk and be told of operating guidelines. Staff would wear proper personal protection equipment.

Occupancy would be reduced to 50 percent in all open areas. All cardio and weight rooms will have an 8-foot distance between exercise equipment with adequate staff to ensure compliance with social distancing rules.

“Unlike many other businesses, health clubs and gyms can easily rearrange their floor plans to meet the required occupancy and social distancing mandates,” he said in written material presented to the task force.

“Health clubs traditionally practice good sanitation and disinfection in their daily operations. Increasing these business practices for a May opening is not an issue and can easily be executed.

“We believe we are far better equipped to maintain sanitization compliance within all public areas of our facilities than most retail operations.

“Our staff will advise and assist in keeping our members healthy by showing members how to properly use onsite disinfectant wipes, hand sanitizers, and disinfection stations pre- and post-exercise at the facility and at home.

“State IDs are required to become a member. Guests will not be allowed to access our facilities; only existing members will be allowed access. Any new members must be NH residents until all state restrictions due to Covid-19 are lifted.”