Gyms and fitness centers throughout the county and the North Quabbin region have closed to the public either “temporarily” or with a tentative reopening date, but King’s Gym Inc. in Greenfield is going to stay open, an owner says, until either the governor or its clients ask it to close.
Robin King, co-owner with her husband, said the gym’s clients have told her and her husband, Sean, that being able to work out each day has been good for their mental and physical health.
“We’re wiping everything down every day, all day long,” King said. “And it’s a wide-open space, so people aren’t working out close to each other. We’re following the governor’s guidelines and not allowing more than 25 people in the building at a time.”
She said 97 people worked out Wednesday.
“We typically have about 15 people in here at once,” she said.
There are four rooms in the building off Chapman Street, so people are also separated into small groups in each room. King said that while the gym has always been busiest from 4 to 7 p.m., there really isn’t a busy time right now.
“People are working from home or not working at all, so this is their escape, and we can only allow 25 at a time,” she said. “People should call before coming.”
King said some of their older clients have chosen to stay home until the COVID-19 pandemic is over.
“We are providing a list of things that people can be doing to protect themselves,” she said. “This is a stressful time, and our clients are really grateful that they have a place like this to come for their physical and mental health.”
King said if the city, state or federal government decide to close all gyms, King’s will close as well.
Body Shoppe Health & Fitness co-owners Jeffries Anderson and Liz Dolby said Thursday morning they had just decided to close as of 5 p.m. that day.
“Things are changing constantly, but as of today (Thursday) we are taking a one-month timeout,” Anderson said. “We expect to reopen on April 20, but we’ll be assessing and reassessing as time goes on.”
Anderson and Dolby made the announcement to their staff and clients Thursday morning. They said their first concern is the health and safety of their members, clients and staff.
Dolby said that because the facility is of a medical nature — physical therapists work with patients — there is protocol to clean the facility like any medical one every day.
Anderson and Dolby said they will also be closing their Athol office for the same amount of time, but will be working with acute patients who need physical therapy on an individual basis.
“We’ll be back when there’s a better handle on the coronavirus,” Dolby said.
They plan to keep in contact with clients via email.
Jennifer Gordon, executive director of the YMCA in Athol, said it is closed to members until further notice, but will offer online classes to members, as well as group exercises that will be broadcast on AOTV. To help keep children busy while they are home from school, the YMCA will soon offer an online family Zumba class.
“We will also be loaning out equipment to members if they have a way to pick it up and return it before we reopen,” Gordon said. “We’re not going to set a reopen date because this is changing by the minute. So, we’ll wait for the governor’s guidance.”
Gordon said the YMCA is also providing emergency child care.
“We take every child’s temperature every morning before they enter the facility,” she said, noting she is in constant contact with the local Board of Health, the state Department of Early Childhood Education and other state agencies.
Early this week and last week, Planet Fitness on the Mohawk Trail and the YMCA on Main Street, both in Greenfield, closed “temporarily” because of COVID-19. Its managers have both said they will continue to assess the situation and plan to reopen when they know it is safe for members and staff.
Greenfield YMCA CEO Grady Vigneau said the agency is prioritizing health and safety in the midst of concern over the spread of COVID-19. He said he made the decision based on guidance from the Massachusetts Alliance of YMCAs and the YMCA of the United States of America, and is keeping track of what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Public Health are suggesting.
Like Gordon, Vigneau said the Greenfield YMCA staff will make online group exercise available to members. Those virtual classes are designed to enable families to exercise together from home.
Reach Anita Fritz at 413-772-0261, ext. 269 or afritz@recorder.com