The YMCA in northwest Tucson reopened its doors to the community on Wednesday with added safety precautions and limited hours to prevent the spread of COVID-19. They plan to open their other locations using a similar strategy in the coming weeks.
Visitors will notice the Y’s cardio, circuit equipment and free weights are open for use while high-traffic spaces such as group fitness, locker rooms, gyms and pools are not available yet. They are encouraging all members to bring their own gym towel and water bottle.
The northwest Y, located at 7770 N. Shannon Road, has a newly installed touch-less entry system using the Y mobile app. Members will be asked to sign a waiver and take a “Health & Safety pledge.”
All staff members that interact with members will be required to wear a face mask. Members are encouraged to wear masks, but it is not required. The capacity inside the building will be limited to ensure social distancing between members, and sanitation stations have been installed so that members can wipe down equipment before and after use. The Y is also limiting use of their facilities to 60 minutes for each member.
They will be open until 8 p.m. today, and will have limited operations Monday through Friday from 6 to 10 a.m. and 3 to 7 p.m. The Y will be closed for part of the afternoon for extended cleaning.
The Y is still offering virtual workouts on their website, tucsonymca.org.
This article appears in May 21-27, 2020.
Now for the Lighthouse City Y on Columbus! Please?
I can’t imagine how they propose to provide a safe environment for the public. Every piece of exercise equipment would have to be sanitized after each use, they would have to have social distancing, and the closed environment with air conditioning would easily promote the spread of the virus between people even if they were separated by six feet.