Community Center Gym 'Plans For Contingencies Around Everything' While Under Colorado Safer-At-Home Order
GOLDEN, Colo. (CBS4) - Gyms across the state of Colorado remain closed indefinitely while some, limited, non-essential business prepare to partially open during tthe coronavirus outbreak. While they wait, Colorado's community center gyms are strategizing how they can make reopening work, in any capacity.
"Every weekday, there's at least one, what they're calling team huddle calls," said Becky Richmond, Recreation Manager for the City of Golden.
While Richmond can't speak to the plans of other community center gyms, she says weekly huddles with them and the community in general help with planning.
"Having those conversations talking with our neighbors, talking with our colleagues around what their plans are, we're collaborating with them in different ways to make sure that we're all getting that same information and sharing information and moving forward," she said.
Richfield, like many, are finding the biggest roadblock when it comes to how they should plan.
Among guidelines for businesses that can open, Colorado's safer-at-home order lists guidelines for what cannot open. Regarding gyms it states Gyms will remain closed under safer-at-home, and that includes fitness studios such as yoga, pilates, barre, etc.
You can do indoor personal training/classes with a maximum of four people unless everyone lives in the same household. For example, a family of five can train together. Those from different households must be physically distant and can have no shared equipment. Coloradans can play tennis and basketball only with less than four people, and only with those from your own household.
"As far as the unknown around what comes next ... it's hard, right?"
Like many gyms, Richmond says the community center is doing what it can to keep people engaged.
"We're actually a little busier than you might think -- we have online group exercise classes that we're offering most days of the week. They're absolutely free, anybody can log into our website," she said.
Outside of physical fitness, employees have a growing list of older adults they call to check on.
"We've placed over 230 phone calls to seniors in Golden, just connecting with them, making sure that they have the resources that they need, resources to get groceries or food or other services and most of the time we're just talking to them and providing a social outlet."
The lack of certainty can be stressful, and Richmond says they're trying to plan for every scenario they can think of.
"We don't fully know what everything is going to look like. We're trying to plan contingencies around everything. We want to be able to offer all of our normal amenities but we also want to make sure that everything we do is safe."
In discussion with other agencies, she says they plan to follow the state guidelines for reopening. Without knowing what those guidelines will be, she can only speculate what a reopening might look like for the Golden Community Center.
"Ultimately, we are going to follow whatever the public health organization's requirements are going to be and maintain that to the best of our ability. We're going to have social distancing most likely. Again, increase cleaning and sanitation and possibly restrictions on what amenities might be able to be open at first," she said.
When asked if she was concerned about how long it might be before patrons could return?
"We'll be there in one way or another, we're going to be there," she said.
For more information on the state's safer-at-home order, visit covid19.colorado.gov.
