Gyms reopening despite governor’s order; Cooper moving NC to next phase this week

Planet Fitness is reopening some gyms in North Carolina this week, despite a coronavirus executive order that keeps gyms closed.

Crunch Fitness is also reopening gyms, ABC11, The News & Observer’s news partner, reported. And O2 Fitness says on its website that several locations in North Carolina are open as of Aug. 28.

A spokesperson for Gov. Roy Cooper, Dory MacMillan, said in an email that Cooper would talk Tuesday about the next phase of easing restrictions on businesses, which would take effect later this week. The changes would come a week earlier than previously announced.

On Monday, Cooper’s office said he had extended the curfew on alcohol sales at restaurants until Oct. 2. Restaurants and other establishments that serve alcohol for on-site consumption have been prohibited since July 31 from selling drinks between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m.

A state Justice Department letter in June said indoor gyms should be open to people who use them as part of a medical treatment plan.

Planet Fitness told members it will not require members to show documentation of medical need.

Planet Fitness, and billing, to restart

Two Planet Fitness locations in Durham, on Guess Road and on Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway, say on their websites they are opening Tuesday.

Websites for Planet Fitness gyms in Knightdale, Garner, Holly Springs, Wake Forest, Fuquay-Varina, Hillsborough, Cary, and for three Raleigh locations say they will open Tuesday.

Planet Fitness stopped charging fees when the clubs closed in March. In an email to members, the company said billing will start up again unless people decide to freeze their memberships.

In a statement emailed to The News & Observer, Planet Fitness said it has started “a thoughtful and phased reopening approach in North Carolina.”

“We are taking a number of steps to protect the health and well-being of our staff and members, which include enhanced cleanliness and sanitization policies and procedures, physical distancing measures in our large and spacious clubs, mask mandates, touchless check-in and more,” the statement said.

Most gyms and fitness centers have been closed in the state since late March. Cooper issued an executive order that shut down those businesses, along with bowling alleys, barbershops and salons. Barbershops and salons were allowed to open at limited capacity in May. Cooper has extended Phase Two, which has kept gyms closed, until at least Sept. 11.

Most states have reopened gyms with certain restrictions.

The GOP-controlled legislature tried to reopen gyms through bills that Cooper vetoed.

Dr. Mandy Cohen, state Department of Health and Human Services secretary, has said that indoor workouts increase the chances of viral spread because of heavy breathing during exercise.

Some reopened despite order

Some gyms in North Carolina have opened despite Cooper’s executive order, citing the state guidance about allowing in people who have medical prescriptions for exercise.

A recent survey found that 16% of fitness center members in the state said they were going to the gym during the shutdown, McClatchy News reported.

In July, the co-owner of Hive Fitness in Charlotte told the Charlotte Observer his facility notified members it is open because of the exception for medical use, but he won’t ask patrons to show their medical documentation.

Jon Sayer, owner of an F45 Training studio in Charlotte, said Monday that even if Cooper announces Tuesday that gyms can open, he waited much too long.

Sayer opened his training center in mid-June for people who said they exercise as part of their medical treatment. State officials have not pointed to any data showing that exercise at gyms spreads the coronavirus, Sayer said.

“You just can’t expect gyms to take it on the nose for this pandemic unless they show overwhelming proof that it’s a problem, and they have failed to do that,” Sayer said.

This story was originally published August 31, 2020 at 1:13 PM with the headline "Gyms reopening despite governor’s order; Cooper moving NC to next phase this week."