Kathy Birge has owned Anytime Fitness in Wyoming, Michigan, for over five years. She has spent her time and money on making it a successful business. She calls her members her “second family.”
But after five months of forced closure by the state due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Kent County gym has been shut down. Their attempts to get help from small businesses have failed.
“We are flourishing and there is not much help to stop it,” said Birge. ‘It kills us. I’m not sure if we can recover. ‘
While some fitness centers like Birge’s follow the rules laid down in Executive Order 2020-160, others have reopened and are trying to fly under the radar. State health officials say they have received dozens of complaints and sent letters informing owners that they are in violation of the executive order.
Some have cooperated with the warnings. Others have set up a fight.
In Ottawa County, the owner of a Powerhouse Fitness Center in Grand Haven has been charged with a felony by the Ottawa County Prosecutor’s Office after initially refusing to close its doors. He sat in court on Thursday, August 20 for a pre-trial hearing, but refused to provide an update on his case.
On Friday, a group of gym owners with the Michigan Fitness Club Association called on Whitmer and state health officials to have fitness centers reopened, saying they have safety protocols in place.
“Two things have become clear in the past five months,” Burn Fitness co-owner Alyssa Tushman said in a group release. ‘One is that gyms are not a COVID threat. The other is that obesity and high blood pressure are. We are a state of 10 million people and 32 percent of adults are obese – which is one of the leading causes of COVID hospitalizations. ”
Across the country, gyms are allowed to open – with safety measures and capacity limits – in 42 states, and partially open in another four states. Michigan is considered a partially open state for fitness centers, although only the northern Lower Peninsula and Upper Peninsula have received the green light for indoor exercise.
Next week, New York will be the 43rd state to renovate gyms. Such companies remain close in California, New Jersey and North Carolina.
In Michigan, Gov. Gretchen Whimer recently told WDIV in Detroit that she would like people back in gyms, but she wants to make sure there are protocols to keep people safe. She has not provided a timeline and her office has not returned any messages from MLive seeking comment on a potential resume.
More than five months of closure
Fitness centers were among the non-essential businesses closed by Gov. Whitmer across the state on March 15 in an effort to reduce the spread of COVID-19. While many businesses have reopened with safety requirements, gyms in most regions of the state have remained closed.
A team of public health experts ranked gyms as a risk level eight out of 10. That’s slightly less risk than bars and big music concerts (level nine), and on par with sports stadiums, amusement parks, churches and buffets.
People who work hard and breathe tend to secrete more respiratory secretions, according to Dr. Nasir Husain, Medical Director Henry Ford Macomb for Prevention of Infection. It is also difficult to work out when wearing a mask and it can be difficult at social distance.
Gyms in the Traverse City and Upper Peninsula region were allowed to reopen on June 15. For that, these gyms had to follow a handful of measures, including:
- Post signs warn people with virus symptoms to stay away;
- Keep records of when each person enters and leaves the gym;
- Decrease class size;
- Make hand sanitizer and cleaning supplies available;
- Open doors and windows and make sure ventilation systems are working properly;
- Steam rooms and saunas close;
- Regularly clean public areas;
- Configure workouts to be 10 feet apart, or 6 feet apart if barriers are present.
Fitness centers in Lower Michigan have been allowed to hold fitness classes and workouts outside since June 1, but have not allowed their doors open. On June 25, they received a glimmer of hope when a federal judge shared Gov.’s executive orders. Whitmer struck, including a ban on a blank reopening of gyms and workout facilities statewide.
A last-minute U.S. Court of Appeals decision in the Sixth District, however, blocked the reopening because of the potential risk of the coronavirus spreading as it operated.
“We deeply sympathize with the business owners and their patrons affected by the governor’s order,” the appeal said in a statement. “Crises like COVID-19 can call for swift, decisive action to save lives. However, these measures can have extreme costs – costs that are often not borne evenly.
“The decision to impose those costs has reached the political branches of government, in this case, Governor Whitmer. Their motion for an emergency stay is therefore allowed. ”
Related: Opening gyms in Michigan is essential for public health, experts say. But it threatens it too.
In May, a group of independent high schools and fitness centers pursued Gov. Whitmer and the Department of State Health, claiming that their constitutional rights were violated because their industry was outlawed.
The suit is “stuck in the Sixth Circuit Court (of Appeals),” according to Greg Hill, a representative of the League of Independent Fitness Facilities and Trainers (LIFFT). Hill said he writes a weekly letter to the mayor’s office, but has yet to hear anything about a potential reshuffle.
Hill an owner and trainer himself, Hill said he is aware of some gyms that are hurting the governor’s order. He said LIFFT does not encourage violation of the order, but noted that many gyms have a “now open or close to eternal situation.”
“To expect any business to remain open after five months of their revenue being completely ignored or largely reduced would be insane,” Hill said. “We emphasize to members safe work procedures if they choose to take that route.”
Ignore the executive order
To Jamie Conway, 29, working at home in the short term was manageable, but it was not a long-term replacement for the fitness institution where she was accustomed to five days a week before the Michigan pandemic struck.
When she heard that a gym in Macomb County had opened its doors about a month ago, she and her husband checked it out and registered for membership. She sees it as a way to get her exercise done while supporting a wrestling with local business.
Inside, she follows the rule of wearing a mask to go in and out, but not when she is working out. She clears equipment before and after each use, and she seeks social distance from other members whenever possible. She has also taken comfort in seeing the cleaning staff.
“I’m trying to take some precautionary measures, but I feel good about it,” Conway said. ‘I needed a fitness setting. I feel safer at a smaller gym; I’m not sure I felt so safe in a busier gym. ”
When she signed up, Conway said she signed an exemption saying she would not pursue the establishment if she became ill.
“I drew it, I wanted to work it out,” she said. ‘Essentially, it’s your choice if you want to go. I feel bad for the smaller gym owners because they have said they will have to close for good if they do not reopen. “
Health department officials in Kent, Ingham and Washtenaw have all received complaints about gyms and fitness centers being open despite the governor’s ban on indoor gyms remaining in operation.
Susan Ringler-Cerniglia recorded complaints for 13 different gyms in Washtenaw County. The communications and health promotion manager said her office stopped and opposed three warning letters and three letters.
“Mostly there has been collaboration,” she said. “I do not have specifications on those scenarios, but our approach to enforcement is typically to provide guidance and information to ensure that everyone is on the same page. Whether it solves the problem.
“Obviously, there are a lot of tensions on both sides of this issue and companies and people’s existence are affected.”
Health Officer Linda Vail could think of complaints against 5-10 gyms, but said she is handing them over to the local prosecutor, since her office concentrates on compliance for businesses that are allowed to open under established guidelines.
In Kent County, administrative health officer Adam London has received multiple complaints. At least two facilities have told his office they intend to stay open.
“Institutions that act in flagrant disregard of the law risk the consequences of enforcing those laws,” London said. “More importantly, institutions that act in blatant disregard of the law and direction of public health are endangering everyone and exposing themselves to liability when someone is harmed.”
Kathy Birge does not owe those gyms that have been chosen despite the governor’s order. But they are keeping their doors close to Anytime Fitness and praying that one of their subsidy applications for small business will be approved, and soon.
“We are hurt,” she said. “We live day in and day out right now.”
COVID-19 FIXING TIPS:
In addition to washing your hands regularly and not recommending your face, officials advise practicing social distance, assuming everyone carries the virus.
Health officials say you should stay at least 6 feet away from others and work from home, if possible.
Use disinfectant wipes or disinfect spray cleaners on frequent touches of surfaces in your home (door handles, faucet, tire tops) and carry hand sanitizer with you when you go to places like shops.
Gretchen Whitmer, Michigan, has also issued executive orders requiring people to wear face masks over their mouths and nostrils in public indoor and outdoor areas. See an explanation of what that means here.
Additional information is available at Michigan.gov/Coronavirus and CDC.gov/Coronavirus.
For more information on COVID-19 in Michigan, visit https://www.mlive.com/coronavirus/data/.
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Thursday, August 20 coronavirus data by Michigan county: 4 counties reported no new cases in the past week
Reducing daily coronavirus cases and dying are stimulating signs for Kent County
