Gyms reopening at slow pace, malls expecting to do the same

WHEELING, W.Va. — Many entities around West Virginia are beginning to reopen this week under Gov. Jim Justice’s “West Virginia Strong: The Comeback” plan including normally heavy traffic areas such as gyms and indoor malls.

The Howard Long Wellness Center in Wheeling, along with hundreds of other fitness centers, gymnasiums, sports training facilities, and recreation centers, opened its doors to the public for the first time in two months on Monday.

Joe Slavik, the director of the center told MetroNews they opened at 5:30 a.m. and had 12 people waiting in line to get in. He said they had around 150 people check-in by 1 p.m. Monday afternoon, which he called a slow pace.

“It’s slow and steady right now and I think that’s kind of what we expected people to do. There is still a lot of apprehensions out there and we understand that,” Slavik said.

Several restrictions are in place there to comply with Justice’s guidelines, which are similar to gyms around the state.

The restrictions are as follows:
– Members will be screened, including temperature checks, upon entry and social distancing will be in effect at all times during your visit to the center.
– All exercise equipment and chairs have been placed at least 8 feet apart (6 feet is required) throughout the center, including on the track, and may not be moved.
– It is each member’s responsibility to wipe down all contact points of every piece of exercise equipment they use before and after each use.
– All staff and members will be required to wear face coverings to the greatest extent possible.
– All common contact areas, such as door handles, countertops, railings, etc., will be disinfected by staff at least once per hour during the center’s operations.
– Group exercise classes will be limited and reduced to 40% capacity, with no shared equipment.

Slavik said they are reminding members to wipe down contact points every hour through the loudspeakers of the large facility. He said people in fitness centers have been conscientious of cleaning stations even before the pandemic, making the ability to now “super convenient.”

The Howard Long Wellness Center has been reconfigured to comply with social distancing and Gov. Jim Justice’s guidelines.

However, some restrictions are still in place at the wellness center. Slavik said to comply with Justice’s guidelines further, the facility has no pool, Jacuzzi, lockers, dry saunas or showers can be used. Locker rooms can be used for coats, restrooms and sinks only. Members are urged to arrive dressed appropriately and ready to work out.

Other restrictions include no basketball, racquetball courts, or walking/running track, no child care or Junior Wellness Center, no water fountain use (bottle fill stations can be used), no guests will be permitted to use the center, and no bags or outerwear will be permitted on the fitness floor.

Slavik said he understands some members may still have apprehensions about being in public and going to the gym, which resulted in the gym making adjustments to memberships.

“People have some apprehensions so we are allowing people to freeze their memberships between now and actually until the end of August if they so desire,” Slavik said. “Then as they feel more comfortable and talk to folks who have been doing things right, they can reactivate it between now and then.”

Some gyms in the state chose not to reopen on Monday including all Planet Fitness locations.

Indoor Malls reopening

Gov. Jim Justice announced on Monday that indoor malls were permitted to reopen for business on Thursday. Shortly after the governor’s announcement, the Huntington Mall released its guidelines.

Joe Bell, a spokesperson for the mall told MetroNews that reopening for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March will be done safely and responsibly.

“We know that there are a lot of people who are concerned about the way that businesses are going to operate, how they are going to interact and they want to make sure they can feel comfortable when they are shopping,” he said.

The guidelines that Justice handed down to large retail stores include screening all employees for COVID-19 symptoms, creating social distancing plan and cleaning all high touch point areas as well as limiting the number of people in restrooms and fitting rooms.

Bell said there will also be physical reminders for patrons of the mall.

“We have signage and floor decals and a variety of other physical cues to let people know they should maintain a distance that keeps them safer from any airborne droplets,” he said.

VIEW: Huntington Mall’s guidelines

Bell said the normal mall hours of 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday will resume immediately but it is suggested that patrons call or check online for the hours of operations of individual stores.

He said he understands the reopening will be a slow process.

“We know not all retailers are prepared to open at that instant. Some of them have logistical issues. They will have to do cleaning, they may be installing barriers or they need to train staff or further their inventory,” Bell said.

Huntington Mall is also giving local manufacturers and retailers of PPE the opportunity for free rent at the mall’s new PPE Marketplace. They are encouraged to contact Brian McGahagan at the mall’s leasing office for details. He may be reached at 330-747-2746 or by email at: bmcgahagan@cafarocompany.com.





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