Cuomo: Gyms can open as soon as Aug. 24

Gym owners statewide received some long-awaited guidance Monday morning from Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who announced they could reopen on Aug. 24 at 33 percent capacity, so long as certain criteria are met. Fitness facilities throughout New York have been closed for five months after being forced to shutter on March 16 when stay-at-home orders were issued.

Lew Breslau, owner of Crunch Fitness in Bellmore, plans to open on the 24th. “The news was a little better than I expected,” said Breslau, who had safety measures in place at Crunch by late April. “Thirty-three percent isn’t 50 percent, but it’s workable,” he added. “This gives me some sense of relief. People can get back to their gym routines that contribute to their well-being both physically and mentally.”

As part of reopening procedures, localities must inspect their gyms and fitness centers within two weeks to confirm if they’re meeting operating requirements, including ventilation and distancing rules, Cuomo said. Local authorities will also determine if indoor classes can be held on a case-by-case basis, Cuomo added, and masks will be mandatory.

“I can’t imagine the ventilation requirements to be stricter than what we have in the building,” Breslau said. “I’m assuming we’re in compliance because we did get the new MERV 13 filters installed.

“We’re going to open without classes for a week or so to get our feet wet,” he added. “I’ve already reached out to the Nassau County Executive’s office to get clarification on some things.”

Crunch’s Bellmore location has several thousand members and 30,000-square feet of real estate. Breslau said they’ve followed strict Covid-19 safety protocols from Crunch’s franchise, which put together a 45-page reopening manual this past spring. Some of Crunch’s safety measures include enhanced cleaning protocols, touchless check-in, symptom screening upon arrival, social distance decals on the floor, closing every other cardio machine and spacing out class times.  

A group of more than 1,500 New York gym owners, including hundreds based on Long Island, recently filed a class action lawsuit against Cuomo, the state and Attorney General Letitia James in an attempt to force the state to allow them to reopen.

Synergy Fitness Club, which has locations in Merrick and Baldwin, is included in the lawsuit. Crunch is not. In addition to requesting immediate reopening, the lawsuit is pursuing compensation for owners to recover lost revenue.

Keith Pellegrino, who owns and operates Synergy’s Baldwin location, said he was hoping to open at 50 percent capacity like bowling alleys, which were approved to do so last Friday.

“Hopefully we’re at 50 percent no later than a month,” Pellegrino said. “We have more than enough equipment to support all of the safety requirements. Wearing masks might be difficult for some members, but that’s something everyone has to follow. We need members to be responsible and follow the safety rules. The last thing we want is to be shut down again.”

Nauman Hussain, who owns and operates Synergy in Merrick, also plans to open doors next Monday. He said he’s strongly considering opening for 90-minute increments with 30-minute closures in between opening slots to allow for extensive disinfecting.

“This is the news we’ve been waiting for,” Hussain said. “We’re anticipating a good turnout. We should be able to accommodate about 65 members at a time.”