We know residents are anxious to get back to their routines, which for many,

includes the use of your amenity areas and more specifically, fitness facilities.

We’ve all probably found ourselves doing a little too much couch-sitting and

chip dipping and our residents are most likely in a similar situation and looking

forward to getting back on track with their fitness goals, along with everything

else that was recently put on ‘pause’.

As a certified fitness professional who serves multiple multifamily apartment

communities and thousand of their residents in the Dallas market every year,

I put together some recommendations that can be utilized for any community

that is looking to re-open, safely.

1. Ensure good social distancing practices by marking floors in your fitness

    areas, the recommended six-foot distance and moving equipment

    where needed

2. Store jump ropes, resistance bands, medicine balls, and yoga mats -

    these are items that are harder to disinfect and should be stored for

    another time. The goal is to eliminate items for public use that may be

    harder to clean.

3. Set up gym wipes and hand sanitizing stations that are visible, easy to

            access and placed in high-touch areas

4. Improve fitness center airflow and quality with air purifiers and fresh,

            outdoor air, if possible (open windows/doors, etc.)

5. Temporarily disable public water fountains

6. Establish new operating hours that reflect appropriate breaks to close

            and disinfect/clean during the day

7. Create a new internal cleaning regimen with your on-site team.

            Communicate areas of focus, paying specific and detailed attention to

            high touch points, such as gym equipment handles and seats, dumbbells

            and benches

8. Require users to wipe down anything touched before and after use and

            install signage to further encourage this practice

9. Adjust the fitness facility’s maximum occupancy numbers and craft a

            revised guest access policy, to limit the number of users at any given

            time. Control access points with oneway entry and exit.

10. Consider a scheduling system to limit frequency, occupancy and to

              better comply with social distancing protocols - and to give residents a

              more streamlined experience when trying to re-access your

              facilities

11. Hire a personal trainer, who can help you manage your new

              procedures (and your fitness fanatic residents) and who can report

              additional modifications that may be needed as the situation evolves

12. Protect your staff by requiring that employees and vendors wear

              masks and gloves whenever possible (this varies based on your state

              requirements)

Have questions about how we’d approach a fitness center re-opening in your

particular community or market? We’d be happy to compare notes.

Reach out any time.