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PHOENIX - Under President Donald Trump's plan to reopen the country after the COVOD-19 pandemic, gyms fall under the plan's 1st phase, but only if they follow strict guidelines.
Some gyms, however, are not sure if they can pull it off.
Mountainside Fitness, with 18 locations and over 1,300 mostly furloughed employees, is too big to qualify for stimulus money. The gym's founder, Tom Hatten, isn’t convinced reopening under the new guidelines will work long term.
"The [World Health Organization] guidelines, I'm confident, we can do them, but a 60% less capacity and people flow, it just makes that kind of a business model very difficult to sustain," said Hatten.
Gyms across the state, like Victorium in Scottsdale, closed up in March, before or when the stay-at-home order went into affect.
They fell into the Phase 1 of the plan to reopen the economy, if sanitation and physical distancing protocols are in place. It can hard to do when the main focus at the Victorian is youth team sports.
"Worst case scenario is that these kids have to wait a year or longer, until the vaccine, and we have to tell them 'sorry, there’s no sports for two years,'" said Victorium manager Jeff Fox.
Newton Fitness moved to Scottsdale, after doing business in Phoenix for 29 years. With the pandemic underway, they are teaching classes online only, after dabbling in it for a decade. The owner, 75-year-old Mac Newton, says he’s preparing for the new normal, whatever it may be.
"Until there’s a vaccine, I’m just gonna have to hold on and prepare for the new normal and get better at what I do, because I’m not gonna re-open and have people die on my watch," said Newton.
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Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
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Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.
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