COVID Response: BC Cases Increasing

So far our province has had relatively few COVID cases compared to other parts of the world but we’re beginning to see an uptick in COVID cases in BC this month, mostly in the 20-29 year old and 30-39 year old age groups. The fact that most of our Empower membership is 40+ gives me some hope that our community will remain healthy.

A lot of the recent cases are attributed to social gatherings and people becoming a bit more relaxed about social distancing. It is an important and sobering reminder that just because we haven’t had many cases yet, we still need to remain vigilant.

Here’s what you can do to help keep us safe:
1) Do not come to the gym if you or anyone you’re in contact with has any symptoms of illness.
2) Make sure to quarantine for 14-days if you are returning from outside Canada or have been in an area with higher COVID incidence.
3) Wait until the class before you has finished before entering the gym
4) Wash your hands with hand sanitizer when you enter and exit the gym
5) Spray your equipment and training area with the hypochlorous acid provided before and after each workout
6) Remain at your station throughout your workout and maintain 6 feet separation from other non-family members. Do not share equipment!
7) Face away from other group class members while exercising

Here’s what we’re doing to increase your safety:
1) We continue to provide hand sanitizer at the entrance and cleaning solution at each station
2) We continue to spray down the gym several times each day
3) We continue to keep all doors and windows open to increase air flow
4) We continue to limit class sizes and enforce workout stations
5) We continue to provide Zoom WOD options for all scheduled classes so that you can train safely from home.
6) The Radar Project: As per Radar’s request we are receiving quotes for converting the North-East window so that it can be opened to increase airflow in that corner of the gym. Thanks everyone who donated to this project!
7) The Sandman Project: We have order $1500 of parts to reconfigure our pull up rig to increase station availability in order to support larger class sizes while maintaining safe social distance

COVID concerns are far from over and may not be for some time to come. Whether things improve or not, we now have some solid strategies in place for dealing with our new reality. We will continue to adapt to circumstances as required. Please continue to hold us, yourselves and each other to the highest standards. We all need reminders from time-to-time. Don’t hesitate to bring it to your coach’s attention if you observe safety concerns or identify areas that we can improve. If we continue to work together as a community we can keep each other safe, healthy and fit!