NORTH HAVEN, Conn. — The pressure to shut down gyms and restaurants is mounting. Some health officials are pointing the finger at gyms for being unsafe, but gyms say that isn't true.
"We recently eclipsed the 10,000 check-in mark and we are probably close to about 11,000 now with zero COVID cases," said Paul Milano.
Over 11,000 members have come in and out of the doors and racks at the Revolution Fitness Clubs in North Haven since Phase 2 reopening. Not a single case of COVID-19 has been traced back to the club.
The local establishment has racks distanced 10-feet apart, temperature checks at the door, and a rigorous cleaning schedule that disinfects the entire gym three times a day. They also have a ventilation system that cycles air 20 times an hour.
"We’ve been trying to go above and beyond requirements to make sure it is the safest place possible," said Milano, the club's General Manager.
Health officials in the state have been asking Governor Ned Lamont to consider another shutdown. They attribute some of the rise in cases to gyms and restaurants.
"We are at a caseload here in Connecticut that exceeds what we had in the spring," said Dr. Luke Davis.
Although, gyms of all sizes say that is not because of them.
"There’s just no data supporting that and there’s actually a lot of data showing the exact opposite," said Milano.
At larger gyms like Planet Fitness, officials say that there is less than a thousandth of a percent chance of contracting the virus at one of their facilities. Instead, they say gyms play an important role in keeping the community healthy.
"People's mental and physical health has been significantly impacted throughout lockdowns and we provide a safe place for people to improve their physical well-being," said Joseph Pepe, the COO of Planet Fitness.
Planet Fitness says they will make it through another shutdown but for locally-owned gyms like the Revolution, another shutdown would have them racking their weights for good.
"We just scraped by the first one but the second one would probably leave us in a position to really consider closing our doors for good," said Milano.
The Governor has been against the idea of closing gyms and restaurants, although no official decision on the matter has been made.