COVID-19 Delta Variant Update
The Delta variant of COVID-19 has established itself as the dominant strain, and is spreading throughout the region and the country. The gym, like many private businesses, is seriously looking at how we can manage ourselves and be stewards of the community while acknowledging the fact that we are NOT in a lockdown, and businesses continue to operate at full capacity . Please read for more information.
Monitoring the Delta Variant
As a small business owner, I wanted to come up with what I felt was a common sense, objective approach to determining whether I would reinstitute certain policies. The following was decided:
I would monitor Dutchess and its surrounding counties (Ulster, Sullivan, and Columbia Counties).
If any 3 out of 4 of the counties, on the CDC County Tracker website, exhibited Substantial or Higher transmission levels of the COVID-19 Virus, I would reinstitute mask wearing policies in the gym along with certain measures that were required by the state.
Monitoring would be adjusted on a bi-weekly basis, depending the shifts in transmission levels across counties.
Currently 3 out of 4 counties listed above (exception is Columbia County) are exhibiting either SUBSTANTIAL OR HIGH transmission levels of COVID-19.
Resulting Changes
Masks will be required, effective by the end of day Friday, August 13, 2021 for any open gym member, training client, instructor, or guest of the gym whether you are VACCINATED OR UNVACCINATED.
Going forward, the gym will ask all open gym members, training clients, instructors, and/or guests of the gym to provide PROOF OF VACCINATION in some form. This can be done by bringing in your vaccination card at the time of meeting, or emailing a photo of your vaccination card to info@refinery.fit.
If you cannot provide proof of vaccination, open gym members, training clients, instructors, and/or guests MAY NOT use the facility.
If you have not submitted proof of vaccination and are seen in the gym with or without a mask, your membership WILL BE SUSPENDED until proof of vaccination is provided.
You may enter the gym if the entry date is at least 2 weeks past your most recent vaccination dose date (second shot for those vaccines requiring 2 doses; first shot for those requiring 1)
This policy may change depending on what the local transmission rates are for the virus, which again, will be monitored bi-weekly.
Reasons for these Changes
Even though this is a small, intimate gym, this virus has proven that it does not take much for it to spread rapidly and with vigor.
Information shows that those that are vaccinated can carry as much of the virus in their respiratory system as those that are unvaccinated. This means everyone can be an equal carrier at this time.
The gym has members that are elderly, have unvaccinated children under the age of 12, are pregnant and/or nursing, or have medical limitations that could put them at higher risk.
I hope you understand and support this decision. Believe me, no one wants to do this as a business; but in effect we should treat this variant as its own virus. As more information becomes available that demonstrates county level improvement, I would be more than happy to adjust the restrictions of this policy.
Thanks for reading through this. If you have any questions, please contact me at info@refinery.fit.
Stay well,
Navin