Balancing Fear & Caution

Yesterday we were happy to see Mom make her return to the gym, her first visit since the shut-down in March. Since our reopening at the end of May most of our members have returned to in-gym action. So far we’ve all remained healthy.

It is understandable that not everyone is comfortable returning. We’ve all been dealing with a lot of fear and uncertainty these past several months! It’s difficult to know what is safe and what is risky. The gym seems a likely place to be exposed to any virus.

The great news is that an Oslo study of 3700 individuals finds gym transmission uncommon. Tracked and tested from reopening May 22nd volunteers were randomized into a gym-going and a control group. Only 1 individual out of the 1800+ gym-going cohort tested positive for COVID and his positive test was taken before he had attended the gym. His case was traced back to his place of work.

This is not to suggest we throw caution to the wind. All participating gyms were practicing strict social distancing (2 metres apart) and cleaning protocols. Without safety protocols the study might have found drastically different results. It is human nature to swing to extremes – extreme fear or extreme recklessness – but the less popular middle road is often the best choice.

We appreciate the patience Empower members have had with our cautious reopening measures and the diligence with which you’ve adhered to COVID safety protocols. We also appreciate that members are quick to point out when and how we can improve on safety in the gym because it is by working together that we can keep one another healthy. It is a community effort! Everyone is a safety observer.

This is the first pandemic we have lived through and it has left many of us shaken but it is not the world’s first – or even worst – pandemic. We may yet face a second wave as with the Spanish Flu or we may live to see something deadlier. COVID has given us an opportunity to become aware of the possibility and to learn new ways of conducting ourselves so that we are better prepared to deal with future risks.

We are open for business and would love to see you back in the gym (cautiously) with us! Though our schedule only shows 6 spaces per class (the number of available pull up stations) we can generally accommodate 8-10 participants while maintaining appropriate social distancing and often do. Put yourself on the wait list and we will usually be able to get you in!