40 | SEPTEMBER 17 • 2020 

Michigan Gyms Reopen, 
But JCC Pumps the Brakes

Other health centers opened their doors Sept. 9 following Whitmer’
s orders.

DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER

Jews in the D

A

fter six months of 
Michigan’
s gyms, fitness 
centers and pools being 
closed due to the COVID-19 
pandemic, an executive order 
from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer 
allowed them to reopen Sept. 9 
with a plethora of new guidelines 
and precautions.
Some fitness centers, such as 
the JCC’
s, are taking their time 
and are still in the process of 
planning the right way to go 
about a safe reopening.
As of press time, JCC Chief 
Operating Officer Jeffrey Lasday 
told the JN, “For now, the JCC is 
reviewing the governor’
s orders 
to assess the practical implica-
tions of the new regulations on 
our fitness and pool operation. 
Our outdoor pool will remain 
open as long as the weather per-
mits.
” It did not open its fitness 
center last week.
Other nearby gyms with large 
Jewish customer bases did open 
Sept. 9, including the Sports Club 
of West Bloomfield and Franklin 
Athletic Club in Southfield.
The Schvitz, a Detroit bath 
house with historical Jewish 
roots, couldn’
t be reached for 
comment but is closed for nor-
mal operating hours until further 
notice, according to its website.

New guidelines include: the 
wearing of masks at all times, 
excluding while swimming; 
configuring workout stations 
or implementing protocols to 
enable 6 feet of distance between 
individuals during exercise 
sessions; reducing class sizes to 
enable at least 6 feet of separation 
between individuals; and limiting 
capacity in the facility to 25% of 
total occupancy.
Gyms must also provide 
equipment-cleaning products 
throughout the facilities and 
regularly disinfect exercise equip-
ment, including immediately 
after use. Facilities must main-
tain accurate records, including 
date and time of entry and exit, 
names of patrons and contact 
information to aid with contact 
tracing. Facilities must also 
post signs outside of entrances 
instructing individuals not to 
enter if they are or have recently 
been sick.
Steam rooms, saunas, jacuzzis 
and cold plunge pools are not to 
be opened yet.
For outdoor pools, facilities 
must limit capacity to 50% of the 
bather capacity limits, while for 
indoor pools, facilities must limit 
capacity to 25% of the bather 
capacity limits. Capacity must 

also be limited on pool decks to 
ensure 6 feet of distance between 
pool goers.
Jimmy Martin, membership 
director of Franklin Athletic 
Club, is taking the 
reopening as seri-
ously as possible 
after being closed 
since St. Patrick’
s 
Day.
“We’
re going to 
safe distance, and 
the way we’
re going to do that 
is to take most of the cardio off 
the workout floor. We have a 
really long, wide club, and we’
re 
going to space those cardio 
machines at least 20 feet apart,” 
Martin said. “We just want peo-
ple to feel comfortable.”
According to Martin, Franklin 
is receiving many phone calls 
from people asking if they can 
assure them that the return will 
consist of a safe environment. 
Martin and Franklin, in turn, 
are filming videos of the precau-
tions being taken and sending 
them to patrons.
“I’
m going to video all of 
the safety protocols that we’
re 
doing,” Martin said. “The dis-
infecting, the masks, the safe 
distancing. I want you to feel so 
comfortable that you don’
t even 

think about it.
”
Martin will be sending the vid-
eos to members, former mem-
bers and the guest database.
Franklin opened its tennis 
courts and indoor club last week.
Don Arndt, owner of the 
Sports Club of West Bloomfield, 
was happy to reopen after a long 
six months.
“We are completely prepared 
and fortunate to have a very 
large building, 170,000 square 
feet,
” Arndt said. “We’
ve socially 
distanced all of our equipment, 
we’
ve got plexiglass shields up 
between instructors, and I think 
we’
re very ready to open, follow-
ing [Whitmer’
s] rules safely.
”
Arndt also pointed out that all 
of Sport’
s Club’
s studios have UV 
sterilization systems, which “kills 
99.9999% of viruses, bacteria, 
mold, etc.
“We’
re opening with fewer 
hours, slightly, and then fewer 
classes until we get a feel of how 
things are going so we can do 
it safely,
” Arndt added. “I think 
that’
s really important that we 
start off slow, figure out what 
works, what doesn’
t work, what 
we can do safely and what we 
can’
t do safely, and then we’
ll 
adjust accordingly.
” 

Jimmy 
Martin

JIMMY MARTIN