National chain CorePower Yoga this week sent a similar message, emphasizing its cleaning protocols and noting that it would reduce the use of shared equipment and hands-on assists during the outbreak. Luxury gym Equinox last week sent a note to members encouraging them to make use of disinfectant wipes around the gym and assuring them that staffers will disinfect clubs with “hospital-grade” cleaning solutions multiple times a day. That hasn’t stopped big-box gyms and boutique studios alike from taking extra steps in an effort to soothe customer fears. Washing your hands after using shared equipment or spending time in a crowded space can also reduce your risk of getting sick, health officials say.
Plus, gyms already follow practices like regularly disinfecting their facilities and encouraging members to wipe down equipment after use, which should be effective at preventing spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, Sax says. For example, one 2011 study estimated that, if a flu pandemic hit New York City, only 4% of influenza transmissions would occur on the subway-even though that’s a place that inspires germ panic for many. And while mass gatherings are a point of concern, there is evidence that people may overestimate the likelihood of disease spread in shared spaces. “Transmission of coronavirus occurs much more commonly through respiratory droplets than through contact with contaminated surfaces,” the agency wrote in its guidance about voting centers. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention during the COVID-19 outbreak. It’s logical to think that the more people who touch shared objects-like, say, weights and cardio machines-the higher the risk that someone could leave behind a virus, potentially passing it on to others.īut this type of surface contamination has not been of much worry to the U.S. Viruses that cause illnesses such as COVID-19 and the seasonal flu are often spread via direct exposure to respiratory droplets expelled in the sneezes or coughs of a sick person, but they can also live on surfaces and inanimate objects for days at a time. People tend to worry about communal places and objects because they fear coming into contact, directly or indirectly, with someone who can get them sick. Keep up to date with our daily coronavirus newsletter by clicking here. “I wouldn’t say there’s anything particular about people sweating that makes them more contagious.” “The gym is not a place that’s necessarily riskier than other communal areas,” Sax says. Paul Sax, medical director of the division of infectious diseases at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. Typically a pillar of health and wellness, the gym in the age of coronavirus seems to many like a petri dish of contagion.īut do gym-goers actually need to worry about their daily workout? The short answer is no, says Dr. As coronavirus cases-and related anxiety-accumulate in the U.S., many people are looking at exercise with new eyes.
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