Will you go back to the gym now that they’re reopening?
As Chicago and Illinois move into Phase 4 of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s reopening plan, gyms are among the long-shutdown establishments permitted to reopen as of Friday, with safety requirements that include social distancing and having to wear a face mask to work out at a gym.
So we asked Chicagoans: Will you be hitting the gym again now that you can? Some answers have been condensed and lightly edited for clarity.
“Definitely not. I have been wanting to have a regular workout plan, but gyms are probably where a lot of people are gonna get sick.” Miguel Pizana
“Still on the fence. Masks, of course, but I’d probably stick to one machine and disinfecting it, along with hand sanitizer. I’ve gained too much weight.” Stephanie Delph
“Yes. Our gym opened a couple of weeks ago, and it is clean, and everyone is happier and less stressed. Everyone came back, plus lots of new members.” Deb Fitzpatrick
“I am going to wait 10 to 14 days — just long enough for all the bros to infect each other, get sick and have to stay home. An empty, disinfected gym is a happy, safe gym.” Ralph Meissner
“Yes but with extra precautions. Got my own Lysol, Clorox wipes and my hand sanitizer.” Juana Piqui Sosa
“Possibly. More likely for lap swim than weights. The child care won’t be open (rightly), so my options are limited time-wise.” Joanna Milano
“Yes, I will be returning to my gym. They are taking extra precautions.”
Brandon Matheis
“No. I have an elderly mother and don’t want to take unnecessary risk.”
Susan Doris
“Nope! I will stick with my home gym for a while. Maybe the end of the year or next year if everything is OK.”
Tony Williams
“I go mostly in the winter months and rarely in the summer, so it will be a while.” Laura Starr
“Nope. People didn’t follow protocols prior to this, and they were simple.”
Nancy Dwyer
“Not until I see that gyms aren’t going to be a risk. I enjoyed my gym, but people were not cleaning or following regular rules before COVID-19. I can’t trust that this will be different.”
Natalie Marie Jordan
“My garage gym has been open 24/7 during the shutdown. I’ve never missed a workout.” Patrick Fitzmaurice
“My gym says it won’t require any members to wear masks while exercising. So that’s a definite NOPE.”
Tanya Meyer
“I haven’t been to the gym in 10 years. Why start now?” Craig Breitenbucher
“I WILL. THE ‘QUARANTINE 15’ IS REAL.”
Al Southers “PROBABLY NOT. I DON’T WANT TO WORK OUT IN A MASK. I CAN’T DO CARDIO WITH ONE OF THOSE ON, I’LL JUST CONTINUE TO WORK OUT AT HOME UNTIL MASKS ARE NO LONGER A REQUIREMENT.”
Kristi Lynne