While many businesses across the state have reopened under Phase 2, some are still closed, and have been for more than a hundred days, as we all continue to battle the coronavirus.
Governor Cooper is expected to loosen some of the rules on Tuesday, announcing the changes in a press conference. It's not certain which spots will get the green light to reopen - but one fitness company has plans to open most of its North Carolina locations, no matter what.
Planet Fitness has 12 gyms in the Triad, operated by National Fitness Partners. President and CEO Stephen Kindler Jr. says starting at 5 am, customers are allowed back inside.
"I will be the first to admit it, I did not think that we would be closed for as long as we have. But, we also understand that all of us had to play our individual role in helping curb COVID," he said.
A few smaller gyms around our area tell WFMY News 2 they're waiting to see what the Governor and other state leaders have in store before changing course to reopen their facilities.
Some gyms are allowed to reopen for those who are prescribed exercise by a medical professional - this exception, allowed by the Attorney General.
On Tuesday, Planet Fitness joins that list.
"In terms of restrictions, we will be capping our capacity at 30 percent of the max fire code. We will be asking all of our team members to be wearing their masks at all times," Kindler said, "We’ve increased our sanitization stations around the store. We've put our twist on social distancing, and we call it 'social fitnessing' inside of the Planet Fitness, where we space all of our equipment out a minimum of 6 feet apart.
"We do respect the privacy of our customers that are coming in the door, and we are not going to maintain physical medical records on the inside of our four walls. We don't feel like that's an appropriate thing for us to be doing," he said.
Regardless of when the Governor eases restrictions for fitness centers, Kindler says, he believes Planet Fitness is on the right track.
The company was one of a handful working with state leaders on a plan, as part of the Fitness Operators for Responsible Reopening coalition.
"We feel like we've got a good partner for Governor Cooper and for Secretary Cohen over the course of the last couple of months," Kindler said, "Kind of educating them on our business, quite frankly, and the value that we provide."
If gyms remain closed after Tuesday's announcement, we'll be one of the last states in the country with a statewide closure.
