Gyms, Dance Studios and Personal Fitness Venues Back in Business

There will be changes in operation for most venues, as a number of guidelines have been released by the Ohio Department of Health to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus. Below is a list of mandatory guidelines that Ohio has released, but note that this is not a complete list; it is intended to highlight the guidelines that may be unique to this industry. For a complete list of guidelines, see HERE.

The Facility

Amenities

• Disable, or mark every other or every third locker for non-use to enforce six-foot social distancing requirement. Facilities where lockers are assigned to members are not required to disable lockers but must enforce social distancing requirement. Remove any casual seating other than benches by lockers as necessary.
•  Eliminate lost and founds.
•  Remove or disable water fountains, but allow bottle filling stations, if they are no-touch stations. If the station requires pushing a button or lever, or pushing the bottle against the dispenser, they must be disabled or sanitized after each use.
• If towels are provided, they are to be stored in covered, sanitized containers that are clearly delineated clean versus soiled. Appropriate temperatures are to be used when washing and drying towels to ensure sanitation (hot water for washing, ensure they are completely dried). Employees handling towels must wear gloves and face covering.
• Disable or close-off steam rooms and saunas.
• Clean and disinfect public areas and restrooms every two hours using EPA-registered disinfectants, particularly on high-touch surfaces.
• Deep cleaning after hours or during low-use times for 24-hour facilities.

 Showers

•  If independent showers are available and used, they must be attended and sanitized between each use.
• Disable or close-off communal style showers except for rinsing before and after any pool activity.

The Members/Clients

• Check-in upon arrival at facility (Venues will establish log-in procedures for members/clients, and maintain that information for potential contact tracing).
• When participating in class training, do not arrive more than 10 minutes prior to class.
• Partners exercising together and sharing equipment must maintain group segmentation from others exercising.
• At child-centric training/instruction, limit parents/ guardians to one individual.
• Members/Clients will use their own balls/racquets/paddles/equipment.
• If balls are passed, they must be disinfected after the training session. 

Venues with restaurants/smoothie bars, childcare and/or pools are to refer to the guidelines published by the state for those specific activities. In the event of a confirmed COVID-19 case, shutdown for deep sanitation is required, if possible.

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