CWA Blog Archive-When Can Rock Gyms Reopen

When Can Rock Gyms Reopen

Pdf Summary

Written in April 2020, this article helps gym owners understand the US administration's Opening Up America plan, announced April 16th, and what it meant for reopening. It flags the confusion around the plan: no timeline was provided and it left many specifics up to individual businesses and local authorities. The article explains that states allowing reopening were doing so only upon meeting gating criteria, detailing them: to reopen, a state must have realized a downward trend of both flu-like and coronavirus-like symptoms within a 14-day period, seen a downward trend in documented COVID-19 cases, maintained or increased testing volume, had a downward trend of positive test results over 14 days, and had hospitals transition to treating all patients without crisis care. Gyms were broadly included in Phase 1 of the program, but the article notes there wasn't clear guidance on what to consider when choosing to reopen. The official plan only stated that gyms can open if they adhere to strict physical distancing and sanitation protocols, and unfortunately offered little clarity on what exactly those distancing and sanitation protocols meant. The throughline is that while the federal Opening Up America plan technically permitted gyms to reopen in Phase 1, it provided frustratingly vague guidance, leaving operators to navigate significant uncertainty about timing and, crucially, what strict physical distancing and sanitation protocols actually required. Because the plan set no timeline and delegated specifics to businesses and local authorities, and because reopening depended on states meeting detailed gating criteria (downward trends in symptoms, cases, and positive tests over 14-day periods, adequate testing, and hospitals returning to normal care), operators faced a complex, jurisdiction-dependent landscape. The inclusion of gyms in Phase 1 offered a path to reopening, but the absence of concrete definitions for the required protocols left owners without clear direction on how to actually operate safely and compliantly. For gym operators in April 2020, the article clarified both the structure of the reopening framework, gating criteria and phased inclusion, and its critical gaps, particularly the undefined distancing and sanitation requirements, helping them understand the conditions under which they might reopen while underscoring that they'd need to interpret vague federal guidance and rely heavily on local authorities to make responsible reopening decisions.

Asset Caption

Written in April 2020, this piece explains the US Opening Up America plan, which included gyms in Phase 1 but gave vague guidance, no timeline, and undefined "strict physical distancing and sanitation protocols." It details the state gating criteria (14-day downward trends in symptoms, cases, positive tests, plus testing and hospital capacity) operators had to navigate amid significant uncertainty.