Gymnasiums in the Portland area, which have been operating under severe restrictions since November, can reopen for indoor workouts of up to 50 people from Friday.
COVID-19 infections are declining sharply in the state, which is why Oregon said Tuesday it is preparing to move a dozen counties to a lower level of risk classification – including the three counties closest to Portland.
In Oregon’s largest provinces, restaurants and pubs can resume indoor service, and gyms can significantly increase the number of members allowed.
Fitness centers have been hit hardest by Oregon’s business restrictions, which shut down indoor workouts in much of the state last November as coronavirus infections skyrocketed.
Health clubs said the restrictions threatened their survival, and that they had an effort for the state to soften the rules, with limited success. Government Kate Brown relaxed the restrictions on gyms a bit last month, allowing up to six customers to enter.
Then Tuesday, Brown’s office announced that ten counties were moving out of the “extreme risk” classification. Under state rules, this means that gyms can accommodate up to 50 people within or 25% of the capacity, whichever is smaller.
“This is an important step that will enable much-needed, increased access to health and fitness facilities in many of Oregon’s most populous counties,” said Jennifer Sitton of the Oregon Health & Fitness Alliance, which was formed last fall to combat closure of the governor to lobby. order for gyms.
However, Sitton said the new rules offer only modest relief for large gyms, as some of Oregon’s largest fitness clubs are hundreds of thousands of square feet.
People who exercise in gyms usually have to wear masks and keep their distance from others in the facility.
The science surrounding the spread of the coronavirus is still in its infancy. There has been evidence from early in the pandemic that gyms were a high-risk environment in a period before masks were widely accepted.
However, gyms and exercise enthusiasts note that fitness clubs offer well-documented health benefits by encouraging people to exercise. Gorge Athletic Clubs owner Dianna Risley said she and other gym owners were frustrated that the governor had not consulted with her about her mandates, and that the rules were still changing.
“I think she pushed back a lot more than she had to because she was not consistent with information and she was not transparent,” Risley said. She owns gyms in Hood River and The Dalles.
The one in Hood River County may open more on Friday as it moves into a lower risk category, but the one in The Dalles remains below the strictest limits.
“We believe the pandemic is real. We understand when they tell us how the pandemic spreads, ‘Risley said. “And we want to be asked, what can we do to work safely?”
Provinces in the “high risk” category typically have less than 200 cases per 100,000 inhabitants over a two-week period, and this may qualify businesses to welcome customers inside. Provinces with fewer cases per capita could increase the number of people admitted indoors.
Fourteen provinces remain in the “extreme risk” classification, including Benton, Marion and Yamhill. Courthouse Club Fitness in Marion County is the biggest opponent of Oregon’s restrictions on gyms. It continued despite the governor’s closure order in November and was fined $ 90,000 that month and a record $ 127,000 in January.
Countries moving out of the “extreme risk” category on Friday are Clackamas, Clatsop, Columbia, Deschutes, Hood River, Klamath, Linn, Morrow, Multnomah and Washington.
Countries that still fall under the strictest “extreme risk” restrictions are Benton, Coos, Crook, Jackson, Jefferson, Josephine, Lane, Malheur, Marion, Polk, Umatilla, Union, Wasco and Yamhill.
– Mike Rogoway