Gyms Can Finally Reopen Next Week In Ontario & Here's What You Can Expect
Indoor fitness centres can open back up at 50% capacity.
After many months of waiting for gyms to reopen in Ontario, the announcement has finally come — indoor fitness can resume when the province enters step three on Friday, July 16, with new restrictions for facilities to follow.
All indoor sports and recreational fitness facilities will be able to operate at a maximum capacity of 50%, and personal trainers can continue to see clients indoors as long as the number of people in the space allows for physical distancing. Gyms and trainers will still be required to perform screenings and take down the personal information of every person they provide services to for the purposes of contact tracing.
"It's been a long year for Ontario fitness clubs, but our associates are so well prepared and excited to welcome our members back very soon," said Jane Riddell, GoodLife Fitness president and COO, in an emailed statement to Narcity prior to today's announcement.
GoodLife will continue to implement the protocols they have in place, which include "physical distancing, enhanced cleaning procedures, PPE and more," said Riddell. Various LA Fitness locations around Toronto and the GTA, including LA Fitness Danforth and LA Fitness Appleby, stated via Instagram Stories on Friday afternoon that details about their reopening plans are coming soon.
Sweat and Tonic told Narcity via email last week that they plan to reopen their HIIT, Ride, and Yoga studios with enhanced protocols, such as upgraded air filtration and socially-distanced plexiglass dividers.
Barry's Canada stated recently that they will be incorporating screening checklists, plexiglass between treadmills, and additional cleaning and sanitization protocols when reopen their doors in Toronto.