SLO County gym reopens for third time in 14 months. Here’s how it’s keeping people safe
A South County gym that has opened and closed three times over the past 14 months amid the COVID-19 pandemic is open for indoor workouts once again — and it’s showcasing its protocols for keeping members and employees safe.
Planet Fitness in Arroyo Grande is one of many local gyms and fitness centers that reopened indoors after San Luis Obispo County returned to the red tier of coronavirus restrictions under California’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy. The county officially left the more restrictive purple tier on Wednesday.
Regional manager Yano Batista said Planet Fitness has hired back 18 workers and implemented a series of measures designed to keep members safe amid the 10% capacity requirement for gyms in the red tier.
The fitness chain’s Arroyo Grande gym is located at 1576 W. Branch St. in the Oak Park Plaza shopping center near Starbucks and Grocery Outlet. It doesn’t offer outdoor exercise options.
Besides cleaning and distancing guidelines, as well as capacity limits, it also has an app that people can use to determine how busy the gym is at any given time — possibly taking advantage of off-peak times to visit.
“The Planet Fitness Crowd Meter gives members the ability to check club capacity on the Planet Fitness app or website in real-time,” the gym said in a news release.
Arroyo Grande resident Meryl Tripodi was at Planet Fitness on Wednesday morning, using the treadmill and keeping several feet of space from the few other members present.
“It’s my first day back and I’m excited,” Tripodi said.
COVID-19 safety protocols at Planet Fitness
Under red tier restrictions, fitness centers in San Luis Obispo County can be at 10% indoor capacity.
That means Planet Fitness can have 35 members working out at a time, with a greeter at the front counting how many people walk through the door. Normally, the gym’s maximum occupancy is 345.
“We do walk-throughs every 20 minutes and disinfect to make sure every member and our worker feels safe,” Batista said.
Other measures in place to “dramatically reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission” include temperature checks of employees, physical distancing, ventilation with 15-foot high ceilings and circulation systems that fully replace inside air every hour, Batista said. Staff members and clients alike are required to wear masks.
Planet Fitness also has a Paso Robles location with similar safety protocols.
“It feels safe because there’s a lot of cleaning stations around,” Tripodi said.
Planet Fitness offers treadmills, free weights, exercise balls and more.
“You can always walk outside, but I enjoy the (gym equipment),” Tripodi said. “I think I’ve lost my muscles over the past few months since they’ve been closed.”
Arroyo Grande gym opens, closes amid coronavirus restrictions
Arroyo Grande’s Planet Fitness location opened in late January 2020 only to close a couple of months later when the COVID-19 pandemic prompted statewide stay-at-home orders that March, Batista said.
The gym reopened in June after San Luis Obispo County’s COVID-19 shelter-at-home order was lifted in May, but closed for the end of summer due to further state restrictions.
Planet Fitness then opened again in October and November, only to be shut down once more due to a regional stay-at-home order.
Planet Fitness remained closed to indoor use due to the county’s purple tier status, which switched this week.
“We run this business like a family, and I consider people here like my brothers and sisters,” Batista said. “It has been really hard.”
A group of local and regional gyms called the Wellness Coalition, including Kennedy Club Fitness with four SLO County locations and the Pad Climbing Gym in SLO, have lobbied the state to allow gyms to operate more fully indoors.
Some are continuing to offer outdoor as well as indoor options.
This story was originally published March 4, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
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