March 17, 2020 - 10 a.m.
All Clubs Temporarily Closed
We have been constantly monitoring the situation regarding the COVID-19 virus and making decisions based upon the health of you, our team and the community as a whole. This morning, based on advisories from federal, state and local governmental authorities, we have made the difficult decision to temporarily close all facilities effective at 4 pm on Tuesday, March 17th. Our goal is to resume operations on March 28th, however the length of this temporary closure will in the end be based on overall governmental guidance and we will make sure to keep you updated as time progresses and the picture becomes more clear.
March 15, 2020 - 8 p.m.
Kids Club Suspended in All SC Clubs
In accordance with the request from South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster, we are suspending Kids Club to coincide with the Public School System. This will begin on Monday, March 16th, in all South Carolina Kids Clubs and will last at least until the end of the month (aligning with public schools).
March 14, 2020 - 10 p.m.
Kids Club Suspended in All NC Clubs
In accordance with the request from North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, we are suspending Kids Club to coincide with the Public School System. This will begin on Sunday, March 15th, in all North Carolina Kids Clubs and will last at least two weeks (aligning with public schools). Our focus is to keep our Clubs open as a welcomed outlet while also taking precautionary steps to help ensure everyone’s overall health and we feel this is a necessary precaution.
Keeping You Moving While at Home
Growga: Our kids fitness partner and friend, Emily Behr, will be streaming free live classes for kids yoga. This is a great way to keep your kids active and moving over the upcoming weeks while also teaching the importance of mindfulness.
Facebook Live Group Fitness Classes: Starting next week, our O2 Fitness Instructors will be hosting LIVE streaming classes on a new, specially designated Facebook page. Like and Follow O2 Fitness on Facebook to receive notifications when classes will be streaming and how to access all saved classes.
Cleaning and Sanitation
We continue to increase our sanitation hours – adding team members from Group Fitness, Kids Club and other departments – to help ensure a healthy environment while providing new hour possibilities for team members who work in areas that are temporarily suspended. Even with our amped up sanitation efforts, we ask/request/plead that you diligently wipe down equipment before and after use. And - as you’ve likely seen everywhere - wash your hands often.
March 13, 2020 - 6 p.m.
Group Fitness Classes are temporarily postponed in all Clubs beginning Saturday, March 14th. We want to do our part in minimizing the gathering of larger groups until we have a better grasp on the local control of the COVID-19 virus.
March 12, 2020 - 6 p.m.
In addition to the increased club cleanings and items we outlined yesterday, the following changes to operations are being made:
Silver Sneakers Classes
Silver Sneakers Classes are temporarily suspended in all Clubs. We love our senior Silver Sneakers members and we encourage you to still visit the club and even take advantage of your free personal training session. We simply want to do our part in reducing larger group gatherings for this highly impacted set of our members.
Group Fitness Classes
Group Fitness Classes in the Triangle and Triad Clubs are temporarily postponed beginning Friday, March 13th. These classes will be reinstated as soon as we have a better grasp on the control of the COVID-19 virus.
Kids Club
At this time, Chapel Hill and Carrboro school systems are closed, so we will follow suit and temporarily suspend Kids Club in those locations. Kids Club is currently operating under normal hours at other locations, but we will adjust in accordance with the public school systems in each area. If updates are made this evening or early tomorrow morning we will adhere to the school plans in those areas.
Upcoming Events
The Strength Competition slated for March 28th is temporarily postponed and will be rescheduled for later this spring. The Group Fitness “March MASHUP” event slated for Saturday, March 21st is being postponed until later this spring.
In addition to the steps we outlined earlier this week (increased cleaning hours, cleaning stations, etc) here are some additional steps we are taking inside the clubs:
- All Personal Training Sessions will begin and end with the trainer and client washing their own hands. Undoubtedly, our awesome PT team will find a fun way to make this part of your warm-up
- All Personal Trainers are being asked to temporarily cease any “hands-on assist”. This is typically minimal but we want to do all we can to make both parties feel their strongest.
- For the next ten days we are enabling unlimited sick leave for all full-time team members as we are advising everyone who has the slightest sore throat or sniffle to stay home. We are also temporarily enacting an emergency 14-day pay for any team member that tests positive for COVID-19 as we want to ensure they focus on their health, not their pay.
We will continue to monitor the situation closely and do all we can to ensure physically and mentally healthy communities. As always, we ask you to wash your hands before and after your workout and utilize the additional cleaning stations we have added throughout the club. (Reminder: Virex is a hospital grade cleaner listed on the CDC's website for approved cleaning substances).
Thank you for being part of the O2 Fitness community - we will get through this together as we all work towards the healthiest communities possible.
March 11, 2020 - 12 p.m.
As concerns surrounding the coronavirus (COVID-19) are rising, we wanted to discuss how we can all play a part in keeping our clubs as healthy as possible. We are committed to doing whatever we can to provide a safe environment to welcome you and your family.
Clean Teams and Clean Equipment
We have increased our cleaning hours and we have asked all members of our O2 Fitness team to help wipe down equipment and monitor that the fitness floor is always appropriately stocked with cleaning solution and paper towels. Your health is always our focus, so we use a hospital-grade cleaning solution (Virex Plus) that is OSHA certified for combatting blood-borne pathogens and also kills microorganisms like MRSA, Influenza, HIV, Adenovirus and many more. We always want our members to wipe down their equipment, but especially in times like these, we respectfully ask that all members wipe down their equipment before AND after use. For those of you who use your phone for music during your workouts, make sure you are regularly cleaning your phone as well.
CDC Recommendations on How to Clean and Disinfect Surfaces →
Find That Song and Wash ‘em Good
We all know that the best way to stay healthy is by thoroughly washing our hands. We ask that all members wash their hands as you enter and before you leave the Club. Yes, you can sing Happy Birthday to ensure 20 seconds of hand washing – or you can check out this Mashable article for a song that is more in your wheelhouse.
Don't "Sweat it Out"
Have you ever heard someone say, “I am feeling sick but I think I will try to sweat it out”? Don’t be that person. We almost always advocate for a good sweat session, but this is the one instance in which we prefer you stay at home and get feeling better. The Club and that great workout will be waiting for you when you return.
No School, No Kids Club
Not to sound too much like your parents, but we agree with them: “if you can’t go to school, you can’t play outside…or in kids club.” Like most schools, a child must be fever free for 48 hours before entering an O2 Fitness Kids Club. You can help by closely monitoring children for any symptoms.
If you have any specific questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to one of our team members. We are doing everything we can to help keep us all healthy and our team is continuously monitoring this situation to ensure we are doing all we can for the health and wellness of our members and our team.
In Health,
Team O2
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