‘Disappointed’ gym owners in NC join forces to change Gov. Cooper’s ruling on reopening
For weeks, Rebecca Marson and her employees prepared to reopen her gymnastics center in Morehead City, which had been closed for the past two months because of the coronavirus.
Gyms and other indoor exercise facilities were expected to open in Phase Two of North Carolina’s reopening plan, based on Gov. Roy Cooper’s original — though not definite — announcement on April 23.
Marson said she spent money on extra cleaning supplies, and her employees cleaned and disinfected every piece of equipment. They developed a plan for how they would open and keep their young gymnasts safe, she said.
So when she sat down at home Wednesday to watch Cooper’s press briefing, she was shocked to learn that gyms and other indoor exercise facilities — such as yoga studios, dance studios and rock climbing facilities — were not part of Phase Two.
Cooper announced Wednesday the state would take a more moderate approach to easing restrictions for people and businesses, allowing businesses like restaurants and barbershops to open at 50% capacity but keeping other places closed longer.
Cooper’s executive order also excludes fitness centers, museums and amusement parks, bars and night clubs from opening. Cooper said those types of places can’t open because of a greater risk for the spread of COVID-19.
“I couldn’t believe my ears,” said Marson, who has owned Crystal Coast Gymnastics in Morehead City for the past 10 years.
Marson wasn’t alone in her disbelief. Jack Wiggen, the owner of Bull City CrossFit in Durham, was surprised, too.
“We were really disappointed,” Wiggen said. “I have a few friends who also own gyms, and we all got on the calls with each other to make sure we understood what was happening.
“We got angrier when we learned it could be five weeks. We don’t have a real answer.”
By Saturday, a fast-growing Facebook group with more than 5,000 members posted that it had retained an attorney.
The state has not specified whether gyms can reopen in Phase Three or earlier. Phase Three, which would lessen restrictions even further and allow most businesses to open, is expected to begin June 26 at the earliest.
But that’s only if North Carolina continues to meet its intended benchmarks. Those benchmarks include a decrease in people visiting the emergency room or clinics with COVID-19 symptoms, the percentage of positive COVID-19 tests over 14 days, the trajectory of hospitalizations, and the number of lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases.
So far, the state says it has met three of its four benchmarks, but continues to see an increase in lab-confirmed cases. The state reported 1,107 new cases Saturday, topping 1,000 new cases in one day for the first time since the pandemic began. But the state is testing thousands of people a day, and health officials have said that with more tests come more positive cases.
Why the state says gyms can’t reopen yet
Dr. Mandy Cohen, secretary of the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, explained Thursday, the day after Cooper’s announcement, why gyms shouldn’t open now.
Gyms have two risk factors, Cohen said at a Thursday news conference. In gyms, she said, people are breathing more heavily and intensely. That can increase the risk of spreading COVID-19 because it is spread through airborne droplets.
“It’s not an issue related to sweat,” Cohen said Thursday. “It is really more about the heavier breathing that you do naturally when you are doing any of the athletics in a gym setting.”
She also said people working out are less likely to wear face coverings.
“It’s not to say we can never move there and it’s too risky ever,” Cohen said. “I think this is just about taking a measured approach so that we are going to do some of these other activities.”
But these gym owners, and many others across the state, say they felt they have done their part to keep their customers safe. And with Cooper’s unexpected announcement, they say they were not given the opportunity to figure out how they could meet the state’s requirements.
“If you limited it to six people, I could still make it work,” said Wiggen, who has owned Bull City CrossFit for the past six years. “The limbo that we got put in, it leads to us being more discouraged, almost feeling singled out.”
In Wilson and Rocky Mount, at least one gym owner said he planned to open Tuesday, regardless of the state’s restrictions, according to The Wilson Times.
Cohen said the state has been working with associations that represent fitness facilities so they know the safety parameters they will need to comply with when it’s time to open.
‘A conversation’
Since closing their businesses, Wiggen and Marson have seen a significant drop in membership. Revenue is no longer coming in. And the federal grants some business owners have received through the Paycheck Protection Program to pay their bills and employees will soon run out.
Joel Schlieman, the owner of Panther Creek CrossFit in Cary, has had similar experiences. He said he was so upset about the news that he can’t open, he posted on Facebook that he was considering filing a lawsuit against Cooper. He asked others to join him.
A new Facebook group called ReOpen NC’s Health Clubs started Wednesday and has nearly 5,000 members as of May 23. The group set up a GoFundMe page and raised more than $20,000 in two days to pay for legal expenses.
Schlieman said in an interview Friday that he no longer is sure whether he would join a lawsuit against Cooper, but he supports those who do.
“We need to stand up. We need to do something to give ourselves a voice,” he said in an interview at his gym. “Nobody is having the conversation with us.”
On Friday evening around 5 p.m., he had expected his gym to near its reopening. But on this day, it was quiet, the equipment untouched, as it has been for the past couple of months.
“I’m not the governor, I don’t want the job,” Schlieman said. “I can’t imagine how difficult it is. But I want to be able to have a conversation with somebody. I’d invite Roy Cooper to come to my gym. I’ll take a test. Just me and you in the building I’d run you through a workout, if you want to, and I’ll show you what I’ll do to keep you safe.”
This story was originally published May 23, 2020 at 5:06 PM with the headline "‘Disappointed’ gym owners in NC join forces to change Gov. Cooper’s ruling on reopening."
