FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - The City of Fort Lauderdale has expanded the list of businesses allowed to reopen Monday to include commercial gyms, despite an order from the Broward County mayor for them to remain closed.
Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis made the announcement in a statement issued Sunday afternoon.
The statement read in part, “Acting in accordance with an executive order signed Friday by Gov. DeSantis, we are allowing commercial gyms to resume operations in addition to the partial opening of restaurants, retail stores and salons.”
Trantalis’ announcement comes amid confusion among residents as to whether or not gyms will be allowed to reopen this week.
“There’s so much confusion with what gyms are and aren’t open,” said one gymgoer.
On Friday, Broward County Mayor Dale Holness said the order was clear.
“Our order doesn’t call for commercial gyms to be open,” he said.
But Trantalis said he has a different interpretation of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ plan for reopening the state.
“We have the authority to open gyms on Monday. We listened to Governor DeSantis’ news conference today, and the governor was very clear,” he said. “We listened to the gym owners, we listened to the business owners, and from that, we created a list of suggested requirements.”
Trantalis, however, stressed that gym owners must heed safety precautions in an effort to adhere to social distancing guidelines.
- Gyms cannot exceed 50% of their capacity.
- Employees are to wear face masks and have health checks before they start work each day.
- Patrons are required to have their temperature checked upon entry and denied access if they have a fever.
- Machines and equipment stations must be spaced six feet apart and sanitized after each use.
- Fitness classes must maintain the six-foot distancing requirement between participants.
- Showers must be closed.
- Hand sanitizer must be provided at all entrances, and all patrons and employees must sanitize upon entrance.
Trantalis’ statement reads in part, “We want people to feel confident that they can return gyms and the other businesses without concern for infection. But if you don’t feel comfortable, please continue to stay home or limit your trips outside.”
In the statement, the mayor singled out the decrease in percentage of reported new cases of COVID-19 in relation to the number of patients tested. It read in part, “We went from a high of 13% of test results being positive during the week of April 11 to under 4% each of the past two weeks.”
Trantalis added, “We fully intend to continue to open more of our city in the coming days and weeks.”
Powerhouse Gym in Fort Lauderdale originally planned to reopen on Monday but then decided not to. The gym posted a message on their Instagram account reading, “Attention Members: We Regret to inform you that we will in fact not be opening tomorrow. Our sincerest apology for the mixed message.”
Upload Fitness Club and Titan Gym’s owners decided to follow Trantalis’ guidance and opened their gym doors to clients.
“They’re both elected officials, so I opted to choose the elected official who wanted the health club open,” said Upload Fitness Club owner Jon Larkini. “We had a company come in with hazmat outfits and they fogged the whole place. Certainly now adhering to all the CDC protocol, we’ve mandated our members to sign a waiver that they’re going to actually use best practices and clean the equipment, as well as stay six feet apart.”
Holness briefly addressed the conflict on Monday morning.
“There’s some disagreement there, so the legality as to whether or not they can, and that will be worked on by the lawyers,” said Holness.
During a media conference held in Orlando, DeSantis mentioned the frustrations gym owners are facing.
“They understand the things that need to be done, and I think that they’re really in a situation where their members want to get back in. It’s not like just the public crowds. I mean, these are people that actually pay to be members at these places,” said DeSantis.
Anyone with questions and concerns about the coronavirus can call the Florida Department of Health’s 24-hour hotline at 1-866-779-6121.
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