ALBANY COUNTY — Although all regions of the state are now in the fourth and final phase of reopening, gyms, bowling alleys, amusement parks, and movie theaters had not been allowed to open.

This week, movement was made on both bowling alleys and gyms.

On Friday, Cuomo announced that bowling alleys, with restrictions, could reopen on Monday, Aug. 17.

On Monday, he said that gyms can reopen, starting Aug. 24, and all gyms and fitness centers will be able to open by Sept. 2.

Bowling alleys are open at half-capacity, and gyms will need to be at one-third capacity, according to state requirements.

The reason for the delayed openings is evolving research that has shown exercise in confined spaces can spread COVID-19.

Albany County Executive Daniel McCoy noted on Tuesday that he had long advocated for gyms to reopen. He said that, with schools reopening in the fall, it didn’t make sense that gyms should be closed.

Some countries, like England, as schools reopen, are considering closing other venues where people congregate, like pubs.

“It might come down to a question of which do you trade off against each other and then that’s a matter of prioritising, do we think pubs are more important than schools?” Professor Graham Medley, who chairs the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies sub-group on pandemic modelling, told the BBC.

Gyms, with the exercise and camaraderie they provide, “really help people get through crises,” said McCoy. He said that the pandemic and the shutdown and economic crisis, had caused a high rate of suicide and drug overdose.

“Gyms do help people get through the day,” he said.

McCoy also cited statistics on two leading underlying health issues of New Yorkers who had died from COVID-19: 13,000 with hypertension and 9,000 with diabetes. Regular physical activity, McCoy said, could improve or prevent these conditions.

He spoke, too, of the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus shutdown.

McCoy noted that the county had just been given 17 pages of guidance on reopening gyms, which he said would be reviewed by the county’s lawyers and health department. The goal, McCoy said, is to “make sure we’re protecting the county, make sure we’re protecting the consumers.”

McCoy said the county would inspect the smaller gyms first, to get them up and running, and then the larger gyms. The gyms in apartment complexes will be inspected last, he said.

McCoy said it is unfortunate movie theaters have not yet been allowed to reopen. “People don’t realize the ripple effect,” he said, speaking of the economy. He wondered, too, how restaurants will survive when the colder weather comes and diners can no longer eat outside.

“You’re going to see a lot of people lose their jobs,” said McCoy.

“Hands tied”

“Mentally, emotionally, and physically, New Yorkers need access to their fitness facilities right now,” said Jessica Fuller who owns The Hot Yoga Spot, which she opened about a year ago and runs in five locations. She spoke at McCoy’s press briefing on Tuesday.

Fuller said she spoke for owners of gyms and fitness facilities across the state when she said, “We’re all scared, we’re all worried, we’re all nervous because we don’t know what’s coming.”

She said tens of thousands of fitness workers are unemployed. She herself has a 3-year-old and an 8-month-old to support, Fuller said. 

Fitness centers willingly shut down in March, she said, stating, “We knew it was for the greater good.”

But, she said, owners of fitness centers like herself thought the shutdown would be a few weeks or maybe a month or two. “The curve has been flat in the state for a really long time,” she said.

Fuller stressed two main points about gym owners. First, she said, “We’re real people with real needs and we’re not a little upset … We’re literally petrified about what’s coming.”

Second, she said, “We cannot help the community right now. COVID-19 has been proven to kill you if you’re overweight or if you have diseases related to being overweight — diabetes, hypertension, heart disease.”

Fuller said, “The conversation needs to shift … not waiting for a vaccine, not staying in a bubble, not pushing off your health until later. How can you be healthier right now?”

She concluded of fitness-center owners, “We are so disappointed that we have literally had our hands tied.”

Guidelines

Outlining the rules for bowling alleys, Cuomo said that 50-percent occupancy is required.

“You must have a face covering,” Cuomo said on a conference call with the press this week. “Every other lane closed. The parties stay with their party at the lane that they’re bowling. The establishment has to have cleaning and disinfecting protocols in place, especially on the shared and the rented equipment.

“Food service, alcohol service: Only by wait service at the party’s location. You’re at a lane, you’re bowling, you can order food, you can order alcohol, they come to you. You don’t go to a bar, you don’t go to a food concession. They come to you.”

On Monday, Cuomo announced, “As New York maintains daily positive test rates below 1 percent, the state has determined that local elected officials can allow gyms and fitness centers to reopen at 33 percent capacity while following rigorous safety protocols, including wearing masks at all times.”

Local elected officials may choose to delay the reopening of gyms and fitness centers until Sept. 2 to, in part, provide time for required local health department inspections, and may also choose to delay the reopening of indoor fitness classes until a date beyond Sept. 2.

Outside of New York City, the county’s chief executive will determine whether gym reopening needs to be postponed.

In addition to one-third occupancy and mask-wearing, other requirements for reopening include: sign-in with contact information and health screening; six feet separation; equipment being cleaned after every use; classes by appointment only; no shared water fountains or showers; and heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning systems that meet protocols set by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Local health departments are to inspect gyms and fitness centers within two weeks of opening to ensure compliance.

Health

Albany County Health Commissioner Elizabeth Whalen spoke at Tuesday’s county press briefing of the “importance of physical activity and keeping your body healthy.”

She has made that point many times over the past five months, stating that, when she was a primary-care physician, patients frequently told her that they didn’t have time to exercise.

With the shutdown, Whalen stressed many people now had the time to exercise on their own. She said in April that it is easy to exercise at home and does not require fancy equipment.

On Tuesday, Whalen said that exercise can help prevent chronic diseases that are exacerbated by being overweight or not physically fit.

She urged, “Re-evaluate and consider opportunities to improve yourself.”

Healthline, a medical website, explains why COVID-19 can spread easily at gyms and fitness centers. It cites a report, published in Emerging Infectious Diseases and posted on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website, that studies fitness dance classes, which are popular in South Korea because of the high aerobic intensity.

“Before sports facilities were closed, a total of 217 students were exposed in 12 facilities, an attack rate of 26.3%,” the report says, noting the virus can be spread by people who don’t show symptoms or before they show symptoms.

It also says, “The moist, warm atmosphere in a sports facility coupled with turbulent air flow generated by intense physical exercise can cause more dense transmission of isolated droplets.”

People breathe harder when they work out, which is the prime way the virus spreads from person to person.

The report concludes, “Because of the increased possibility of infection through droplets, vigorous exercise in closely confined spaces should be avoided during the current outbreak, as should public gatherings, even in small groups.”