Although gyms aren’t meant to reopen until the final stage of the government plan, I’ve been told that some gyms have presented a case to the government for permission to reopen sooner. A couple of days ago Alqabas newspaper visited Circuit+ to get an idea of how this could work safely and I think it could work.
Basically, Circuit+ will split up their gym into different large areas and give every member one of those areas to work out in. The area will contain all the equipment their member would need for that class so they don’t have to leave their section or share equipment with other members. Once the class is over the members are expected to wipe down the gym equipment they used and once they leave, the gyms cleaning staff come in and resterilize everything again for the next class.
Obviously this idea won’t work with every gym. Circuit+ isn’t a regular gym where you can just walk in and work out and leave, they function with classes that hold a limited number of people which works for them in this case. Also, their Shuwaikh location is HUGE as you can see in the video so they can manage to split it up and give each member a large section to workout in.
I think this could also apply to smaller and more private personal training gyms like mine (X.Athletic). Before the pandemic my gym would only allow a maximum of 4 gym-goers at any given time so it was never crowded. There was also a cleaner who was constantly wiping down the equipment and benches after they were being used, and this was on a normal day before COVID. By taking a few more extra precautions, I can easily see my gym also providing a safe space for me to work out in. Damn it, now all this gym talk is making me miss my gym and trainers.
But again, this setup wouldn’t work for every gym, just the very large class-based ones and the more premium exclusive gyms.
14 replies on “Gyms Want to Reopen”
One good thing about pandemics is that it reminds us how personal hygiene matters.
In my gym, we have an infinite supply of Clorox wipes and towels. I literally wipe all my equipment before and after using it (be it a barbell, dumbbell, plates, cardio machines, etc. whatever I touch, is disinfected before and after), I always place a towel on the bench or whatever equipment I’ll use after wiping it down, and this was way before the pandemic.
While I was pro-lockdown a couple of weeks ago, the more I read into it, the more experts say it’s pointless and clusters are easily avoidable by taking personal precautions. UAE completely reopened, including gyms and cases decreased. I hope the government approves of this petition because as mentioned, 6 months is quite unreasonable (and btw, also unfair for salons and barbers).
It seems obvious that the only consideration is to prevent the spread. Nothing else matters. Regards gyms, i would theorize if it’s not applicable to all gyms it is not worth approving.
+1 (upvote)
Really Bad Idea. It’s the worst place to be during a pandemic.
Kuwait wouldn’t be inventing anything new, gyms around the world have reopened with new precautionary and safety measures in place, it’s the new life.
If you want to talk about the worst place to be, have you been to a supermarket recently? I can’t think of a worst place right now from volunteers at the door wearing their masks around their chin, to the over crowding inside, I’d feel safer working out in my dedicated space at the gym than a supermarket visit. The only place worse than a supermarket is being in an elevator with half the people not caring to wear masks.
It’s not about gym hygiene, it’s about the dumbass people who are not hygienic. Recently, health organizations have somewhat downplayed being infected from surfaces, so yeah in places where it’s one on one, it’s probably safe, but not in Platinum testosterone-filled gyms.
Are we entitled to a refund on a paid years membership for the months the gym has been closed? What ministry of the government is respond for this?
Hey is that Mark in the pic doing the pull ups? It sounds depressing, but on Amazon I started to watch this series by The Great Courses on the Black Plague. So many similarities (originated in China for example) but thanks God we have better knowledge of viral infection to hopefully find a faster solution. Back then, the worst part of it lasted for about 6 years!! That is a long time to isolate from gym 🙂
Nope not me
If we have a plan to restart based on phases, we should stick to it. Alot of things are currently under scrutiny due to increase in cases across the country. If we are going ahead to start malls and gyms at this point, how do you control the spread. Think of the people who are stuck out of the country, split from their families,… everyone is waiting peacefully, and hoping for things to settle, so should everyone within the country !!!!!
What you’re saying makes sense 100% but there are other issues here. You can’t shut down businesses for 6 months, other countries closed down for awhile and then reopened but in our case it’s taking a lot longer. Instead of increasing the daily testing we are decreasing it, the must wear a mask law isn’t being enforced, and if you see the number of diwaniyas still taking place or the parties at Khieran that are happening you’ll realize gyms and malls are safer due to the restrictions they’re putting.
I totally agree with this. But its sheer ignorance and a carefree attitude that is being spread within the community. How much common sense can the government push into the minds of people in a time of a pandemic? People are being irresponsible at such difficult times,… how do you guarantee people to wear a mask n do their gym sessions? At some point they will need to remove their mask to catch a breathe… then what? The economy of the country is suffering sadly, but to revive it we need more responsibility n common sense than gyms n diwaniyas!
From a health perspectives its not at all advisable to do strenuous workouts in a gym with the masks on. It’s proven that it could lead to lung collapse.
Source? Cuz people actually work out with masks since before corona, just google elevation training masks. Regular mouth coverings are not even close to being as restrictive as elevation training masks. Plus nobody mentioned anything about working out with masks in the video, if u have a dedicated space for u separate from everyone else you wouldn’t need to wear one.