NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — Time to wipe the dust off and start pumping some iron at Fitness Norfolk off West Virginia Beach Boulevard.
Friday is the big day — the doors can now open and gym members no longer have to work out from home.
“It was really sad to close our doors, but we’re very excited to open our doors now, now that we get to go through phase 2,” said the gym’s general manager May Savvin.
Just like others in the area, Fitness Norfolk won’t be as busy as before because under the second phase, they can only open at 30-percent capacity.
That’s with the exception of Richmond and Northern Virginia.
Savvin says Friday represents more than the business reopening, but also the next step in helping community members take care of their mental health during this time.
“I chose this career so I can be here for people that need a place to go away from home, and we’re super excited to be able to supply that, to relieve the stress. Ultimately, get everybody healthy with their immune system and get things going again as things go back to normal,” she explained.
Savvin says they’re following the guidelines to a T, taking all precautions necessary.
“Effective immediately, we do have a door access that’s disabled at this point,” Savvin said.
She says that way they can control how many people enter and when.
She’s also began the process of blocking off every other machine to help with social distancing.
When it comes to sanitation, she’s added signage everywhere you look, and more cleaning stations.
“We will have staff members throughout hours of operation work to ensure that the cleanliness is happening. We sent emails out as well discussing all the guidelines for our members everybody super excited to come back,” Savvin said.
Some of the equipment has also been taken out of the gym to create more room for social distancing.
Also it’s important to note some of the bigger gyms in Hampton Roads are requiring a temperature check from members before entering.
Contacting your local gym is recommended as some precautions are on a gym-by-gym basis.