New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Monday that gyms across the state can reopen next week as the coronavirus infection rate remains at its lowest since the pandemic began.
“Health officials … have helped us develop these guidelines,” Cuomo said Monday. “Specifications — the cleanliness, how often the equipment has to be cleaned, etc. If it’s not done right, it can be a problem.”
Gyms will be permitted to reopen at 33% capacity as soon as Aug. 24. Masks will be required at all times. Cuomo added that health departments across the state will have to conduct thorough inspections two weeks before gyms can reopen to make sure gym staff are following health precautions such as thorough sanitization efforts.
“If the localities can get the inspections done or be ready to inspect, then they can open up Aug. 24,” Cuomo said. “Sept. 2, localities can also determine whether or not the gym has classes inside it.”
Cuomo announced Friday that bowling alleys across the state can reopen at limited capacity, as well as “low-risk indoor cultural arts” institutions such as museums in New York City this week and next. The string of reopening efforts reflects the progress the state has made in stabilizing rates of new cases and hospitalizations after experiencing the worst of the pandemic in the spring.
“Are gyms any tougher than bowling alleys or restaurants? I don’t really think so,” he said. “Now, gyms are one of the areas where you have to be very careful, and we know that.”
Cuomo’s decision to allow bowling alleys to reopen signals that the state, a former coronavirus hot spot, has reduced the coronavirus infection rate to a sufficient extent. State data show that the COVID-19 test positivity rate has remained below 1% for the past couple of weeks.
“That is the lowest it has been since this [pandemic] began,” Cuomo said. “So that is really great news.”
At the earliest peak of the pandemic in April, New York public health officials were reporting about 7,000 to 11,500 cases each day. Hospital systems across the state, especially in New York City, were on track to hit maximum capacity, leading Cuomo to strike up talks with President Trump to create overflow hospitals throughout Manhattan.
The rate of new daily coronavirus cases in New York has decreased significantly since June. In the past few weeks, the number of new cases has ranged from about 400 to 700 per day.
