A step toward normal: Some midstate gyms let vaccinated members unmask

• Julia Agos/WITF
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  Julia Agos was a reporter and the host of All Things Considered for WITF.

(Harrisburg) — Nobody wants to have a piece of cloth over their face while exercising.

But, it’s something many have become used to during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, masking policies are changing at some midstate health clubs, in the wake of updated masking guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The move has renewed some businesses’ faith that some parts of everyday life be returning to normal soon. Several gyms and fitness centers will now allow fully vaccinated people to take off their masks while working out.

At Harrisburg Area YMCA, the club will let people who are two weeks out from their COVID-19 vaccine to set aside their masks.

Spokesperson Rosie Turner says the organization has enforced social distancing and maintained rigorous cleaning standards throughout the pandemic.

“Now we finally feel with these makes guidelines changing that we can start to welcome people in a way that feels like a return to normal,” she said. “We know we aren’t finished with this thing yet, but we know we are moving in the right direction and our community is just itching to get back out there and be with us.”

The YMCA will fully reopen, by dropping social distancing and capacity requirements, along with the rest of the state on Memorial Day.

Members will not have to show their vaccination cards to take off their masks. Turner said the organization does not believe they have the legal authority to ask people for proof of vaccination.

Similar rules apply at Gold’s Gym. With locations in Linglestown and Camp Hill, owner Jim Czupil said he is confident in their health and safety precautions.

“We have had over 246,000 check-ins between our two clubs since we reopened last June. We have not had a single case contact traced back to our club, nor have we had any part in any kind of community spreader. So, I look at my protocols and I say, ‘You know what? That’s the only scorecard that really matters to me,’” he said.

The CDC designated participation in an “indoor, high intensity exercise class” as safe for fully vaccinated people. However, for those without the shot, strenuous indoor activity is still considered high risk and it is recommended those individuals maintain social distancing and keep their masks on.

Fitness clubs have been among the hardest hit by COVID-19 shutdowns and capacity restrictions. Czupil is calling on Congress to pass HR890, known as the Gym Mitigation and Survival (GYMS) Act. It  would provide economic support through grants for eligible fitness facilities. The funds would help gyms with payroll costs, rent or mortgage, and other business expenses.

National franchises like Equinox, have reported spikes in membership over that past week with the easing of masking requirements.

“We’ve been waiting for this day for 14 months, and what we are seeing is a tremendous amount of pent-up demand,” Harvey Spevak, executive chairman of Equinox Group, said in an interview with CNBC.

In Pennsylvania, nearly 10 million COVID-19 shots have been administered to 55 percent of the population. Public health experts expect between 70 and 80 percent of the population will need to be vaccinated to reach herd immunity.