Anytime Fitness employees showing off their new hygiene station upon entry. INSET: New guidelines for members. Photos: Liam Phillips
WHEN news came through that COVID-19 restrictions were first being implemented, Anytime Fitness found out it would have to close the doors to all locations, including Gawler, within 24 hours.
Months have passed, and on Monday the Gawler location, like all Anytime Fitness chains state-wide, re-opened its doors with strict COVID-19 measures in place.
While some staff were initially let go, before the JobKeeper package allowed the company to retain them, some, like Szana Noack, have been flat out trying to bring the gym up to a point where it meets the extensive list of criteria.
“We found out that we were set to come back on June 9, so we had ample time to start getting everything in order,” Ms Noack said.
“Then they brought it forward to June 5, and then the first… I’ve been here seven days a week trying to get the club ready for everyone.”
The boxes that needed to be ticked include strict hygiene protocols, educating members, and the implementation of a new booking system to ensure a maximum of 20 members in the facility at one time.
“The government basically gave us an outline of what we have to do before we were allowed to open, so we had to do a full audit,” Ms Noack said.
“We’ve had to scrub every machine, every wall, acid wash the floor, and multiple times too… the owners have spent a lot of money on the cleaning process and getting everything in order.”
Ms Noack said she feels that coming out of the quarantine, mental health will be an issue that needs addressing, and there may not be many better ways than getting physically active.
“We’ve been speaking to members one-one-one and calling every single one, and we’ve found that depression has been hitting people really hard during isolation,” she said.
“When you’re depressed, coming in and releasing the endorphins will really help in that regard, so for anyone struggling lately, it can really make a difference.
“So for anyone sitting at home, bored and not sure what to do, instead of going to the pubs which have re-opened, maybe it’d be a good thing to come in here.”
To get in touch with Anytime Fitness Gawler, call 8522 1144.
