Gym or Not in COVID-19 Times?
A few moms were wrangling on social media about whether it was safe to go to the gym — 200-odd comments from various viewpoints, and the result was more confusion. This pandemic has left us confused, to say the least.
Before you decide what's best for you and your family, here are some important events surrounding gyms.
Michigan was set to welcome gym enthusiasts back on Thursday, June 25. But hours before reopening, a Sixth Circuit panel reversed the ruling and kept gyms closed. The eight-page decision — by Judges Julia Gibbons, Deborah Cook, and Chad Readler — offered sweeping support for governors exercising executive power during the pandemic.
North Carolina also kept its gyms shuttered past June 26. Hospitalizations had increased 60% since May, and Gov. Roy Cooper decided gyms and bars would stay closed to help contain the virus. Gyms are, after all, "high-touch" places.
Norway offered gym enthusiasts some hope: a not-yet-peer-reviewed study (the Oslo TRAiN trial) found no COVID-19 cases linked to gym use. Gyms opened at 50% capacity; patrons distanced, practiced hygiene, and were screened for temperature daily. The results: no cases. But closer to home, Planet Fitness had a different story.
West Virginia: a client tested positive at a Morgantown Planet Fitness, and about 200 people were asked to quarantine — they may have been exposed. The virus is insidious, so precautions went into place.
In the end, exercise keeps you happy — physically and mentally. Everyone needs their daily dose of exercise. But is the gym the only option?
Originally published June 2020.
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