NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – In addition to high schools, gyms and fitness classes will open in town on Monday.
CBS2’s Lisa Rozner spoke to gym owners in the Flatiron District on Sunday about what they’re doing to prepare.
CONTINUE READING: COVID In New York: Indoor Fitness Classes Allowed To Reopen Next Week; The curfew for certain companies will be lifted in April
The gyms have been open for several months, but fitness classes were banned. At the beginning of the new working week, the studios can hold courses with a capacity of 33%.
To take a course, attendees must undergo a health screening at check-in and provide contact information for contact tracing.
“We worked really fast to start more than 60 lessons per week between our New York City locations,” said Johnny de Triquet, Life Time studio manager.
COVID VACCINATION
The studios had less than a week to prepare. Governor Andrew Cuomo made the announcement last Wednesday, the day after the Boutique Fitness Alliance rallied for a reopening.
Amanda Freeman founded the group and is the CEO of SLT, which is known for its intense form of Pilates.
“I think it will take some time to really fill the classes as this information about our openness has not yet been fully released and the mayor has released some negative stats and data that I hope won The Overcoming it won’t take long, ”said Freeman.
Last week, Mayor Bill de Blasio said it was too early to reopen and criticized the governor’s decision. However, Freeman said her studios in Westchester and Long Island had seen no spread.
Their New York studios take more than double the cleaning time between lessons – 25 minutes.
CONTINUE READING: Group gym owners urge Mayor De Blasio to allow them to reopen: “We can be as safe as a gym”
The owners of Bode Yoga on the Upper East Side said they would love to reopen but are willing to keep classes smaller than the 33% rule, a maximum of 12 people.
This is welcome news for instructors who have been hard hit financially by the coronavirus pandemic. Last year they were only allowed to offer private sessions.
“It’s excited to be back. People come here with happy energy. You feel good. They look forward to going back to the classroom, ”said Guadalupe Mora Sanchez, studio manager of Bode Yoga.
“I practiced at home during the closure,” added customer Irena Menk. “I can’t even tell you about the excitement and gratitude I feel.”
For some studios the announcement of the reopening came too late.
The Title Boxing Club at Hell’s Kitchen wrote, “The last bell has rung” and “The debt was too high to be lifted whether or not we could open today.”
Back at Bode Yoga, Menk said the ability to share the studio with others brings much-needed peace of mind amid the chaos of the pandemic.
“I feel safer practicing Bikram Original Hot Yoga than not practicing at all,” said Menk. “Community is important. When there are more people in the room, you create synergy that will help you keep moving as one person. “
Another company, Studio DanceBody, called Monday a time to “celebrate the reopening … through # socialdisdancing … in real life”.
