Gym Cleanliness: How to Take Preventative Actions Against Coronavirus

We all know that coronavirus is an important area of focus right now, and we want to address its connection to the gym. Of course, it’s always essential to keep your gym clean and prevent the spread of germs, but that’s true now more than usual. Keep people coming to your gym while helping to minimize the risk with proper gym cleanliness. Here’s what you can do.

Disinfect Surfaces

Coronavirus may be able to stay alive on surfaces for hours to days after landing there from sneezes, coughs or exhales. It can spread to someone from a surface when someone touches the surface and then their mouth, nose or eyes. Because of this, your gym should consistently and properly disinfect surfaces that gym members will touch such as gym equipment, door handles, and bathroom areas. Don’t neglect to clean office spaces such as desks, computers, and phones. Reassure members by letting them know about the disinfecting measures your gym is taking.

Also, provide soap in the bathrooms so members and staff can properly wash their hands, and consider also supplying alcohol-based hand sanitizer and wipes throughout the gym to encourage people to keep their hands and equipment clean.

Encourage “Bring Your Own”

You might want to follow the lead of other gyms and fitness studios that are trying to stop coronavirus spread by encouraging people to bring their own equipment when possible. This could include things like yoga mats, straps, fitness bands, yoga blocks and the like. You could also encourage people to bring their own water bottles instead of using water fountains or disposable cups that might catch germs, and wearing cloth gloves when lifting weights can block transmission from touching. 

Provide Information

Share information with your members on how to reduce the spread of the virus both on their own and while at the gym. You can share information through email and also through signs posted at the gym itself.

Get correct information from reputable sites such as the CDC or WHO to share. For example, you can educate your members on how washing hands with soap and water for 20 seconds or using an alcohol-based sanitizer helps reduce the spread of the virus. Here is a CDC resource you can use for information: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/about/prevention.html

Also, encourage your members to stay home from the gym if they are sick. But you can let your members know that if they’re still feeling okay, exercise can help boost their immune systems and reduce their stress levels, which are both helpful benefits at this time.

Educate Staff

Hold a staff meeting to teach your staff about how the virus spreads and how to prevent the spread. Make sure they carry out the precautions you will educate your members about, such as washing hands, avoiding touching the face and covering sneezes and coughs. Have your staff help you with disinfecting and have them encourage members to follow precautions. Also, encourage your staff to stay home if sick and make sure they will not get in trouble for doing so during this time when the world is trying to stop the spread of this virus. If possible, provide sick leave for your staff to help support them if they need to stay home.

Taking precautions like these can help you keep your gym safe for staff and members, and help prevent the spread of coronavirus while keeping your gym open and available for as long as possible. Other than that, follow the advice of health authorities so you can continue to know the next steps to take.