A Checklist for Reopening Gym and Fitness Center after COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic may have forced you to close your gym or fitness center, putting your business on hold. It forced you to figure out a way to communicate with your customers from afar. You had to go virtual to keep your clients moving while they were at home.

You must be looking forward to the fitness company reopening after a long (and difficult) break over COVID-19. While we are still in the middle of the pandemic, now is the time to accept the new normal and prepare a strategy for reopening your gym or fitness center.

Plan to respond effectively and strategize ahead of time with our gym and fitness studio checklist.

Things to consider when Reopening a Fitness Business after COVID-19

You’ll need to refresh business processes and make changes when you reopen the doors to your fitness studio. You could damage the quality of your business’s comeback if you don’t have a well-thought-out plan. Here are the top things to remember as your gym enters a new stage.

  • Train your staff: To protect everyone’s safety, you must first train all employees to take preventive measures and follow government requirements. These are the people who represent your company. Customers will notice their actions and react accordingly. They’ll also want to see that you’re prepared to go above and beyond to ensure their safety.

             – Ensure that your employees:

  • Always wear gloves and a mask.
  • Cleaning and sanitization responsibilities are assigned regularly.
  • Carry out all of their responsibilities and keep the cleaning logs up to date.
  • Every morning when they arrive at work, they are submitted to health exams.
  • Customers should be given clear hygiene rules: Before you welcome your clients through your gym or fitness studio’s large doors, remind them that following hygiene guidelines is also their responsibility. You can send this message to all your gym members via push notifications if you use a digital program or app for your business.In addition, on all social media channels, you should also highlight the new hygiene regulations and procedures. When you declare that all members must wear gloves and masks in the gym, be as specific as possible. You should also urge them to do the following:
    • Personal hygiene kits should buy.
    • Before entering the studio, they should wash their hands and get a quick health check.
    • Keep the proper social distance.
    • If they don’t feel well or display any indications of the illness, they should skip a class or training session.
    • Before using the machines, clean them with the cleaning solutions given by the facility.
  • Eliminate All Contact Surfaces: Because of the touch surfaces, people may be hesitant to visit your facility when it reopens after COVID-19. Viruses can grow in these environments. If you don’t sanitize them regularly, members may acquire infections from one another. Reduce the number of common surfaces in your gym or fitness studio to prevent the virus from spreading. Implementing contactless access points and dispensers should be the first step.To allow clients to log in using an RFID card, you’ll also need to set up a Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) reader. It will eliminate the requirement for fingerprint identification and other high-contact user authentication. Aside from that, delete any non-essential items that multiple family members are likely to contact, such as vending machines.
  • Attendance Monitoring and Contactless Entry: Attendance tracking is something that may help you improve your front desk operations all year long, and it’s highly relevant right now. Using barcodes and scanners as part of your check-in process is the best and safest method to do this. Members can retrieve their barcode by logging in through your studio’s app once you’ve completed your setup.This method of access control can help you manage your studio more efficiently, and it will also provide safety benefits to both members and staff at this time:
    • There’s no need to overwork your front-desk staff: set up your scanner so members may check in on their own.
    • Keep physical contact between members and staff to a minimum.
    • When members return to the studio, it makes them feel more at ease and secure.
  • Accept digital ways if possible: It’s important to remember that following new government requirements while maintaining a safe social distance is still business as usual. While maintaining a respectful distance, members can inquire about products and services. Maintain a strong social media presence and encourage members to engage with you outside the gym, studio, or club.Encourage members to make reservations online, call with problems, and only visit the facility when they are actively using your services. Encourage members to connect through your in-app digital community rather than hanging out in the gym after a workout like they usually do.

Wrap Up:

When you reopen your gym or fitness studio following the COVID-19 outbreak, this checklist for gyms and fitness studios will help you run your business effectively and safely. Clients will feel more at ease visiting your facility and spending more time and money with you if they see you taking thorough measures and procedures for their safety. They may also spread the word about your gym or fitness facility to their friends. New clients will be attracted to your facility as a result of this word-of-mouth promotion.