ROMEOVILLE, IL — Life Time Fitness opened its doors Saturday as the state moved to Phase 4 of the governor’s reopening plan amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“It feels great to be open again. We have such amazing team members and members here, we really missed all of them when we were closed,” said Jason Fox, general manager. “We have received overwhelmingly positive responses from our members. They are so appreciative of the club being open again and have expressed gratitude for how clean we are keeping the club.”
As per the health directives, the center has taken the following measures to ensure safety of staff and members:
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Increased spacing between equipment and within workout areas to allow for appropriate social distancing.
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Constant, thorough cleaning of the club and overnight deep cleaning, using an EPA-registered, hospital-grade disinfectant and virucide that is known to be effective against emerging viral pathogens, including the coronavirus.
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Cleaning stations with disinfectants (in both wipes and spray bottles) throughout the club for members to use before and after exercising on equipment.
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Social distancing measures throughout the club including markings or directions at the front desk, fitness floor, class studios, locker rooms, children’s areas, pool areas and more.
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Dedicated equipment for class participants that is cleaned between classes, in order to promote single use.
Life Time shut down all of its clubs across the country on March 16. Later that month, it had to put more than 90 percent of its team across the country — more than 36,000 team members — on furlough. Since then, they’ve reopened more than 115 clubs and have been able to bring team members back, said Dan DeBaun, member of the communications team.
The center launched more than 50 of its classes online, and will continue to offer the complimentary classes virtually for those still looking to get workouts in at home.
Fox said they’ve taken extensive measures to make their members feel safe again.
“Since March 16, Life Time has created new or expanded protocols for every area and program in our clubs to set a new standard for cleaning and building member trust, including a substantial playbook for team members, which is more than 400 pages,” he said. “In developing its COVID-related protocols, Life Time enlisted a former state epidemiologist with a wide range of experiences in clinical occupational and environment medicine to ensure that its protocols fairly satisfy the latest public health considerations.”
This article originally appeared on the Romeoville Patch
