Coronavirus
Technology Solutions
Immediate
Opening of the
Economy with
CATER 95 Masks
Here are Some of
the Many Fit
Testing
Companies
More
Transmissible
Virus Found in
UK, EU and SA
Trane Revenues
Up in the Third
Quarter Planet Fitness Believes it has Been Shut Down Unfairly
Kansas Fitness
Studio Suing
State Over Shut
Down
Minnesota Gym
Closings Lead to
Reaction From
Owners
________________________________________________________________________
Immediate
Opening of the
Economy with
CATER 95 Masks
If everyone
(transmitters
and recipients)
were wearing
CATER 95 masks
the net viral
reduction would
be 99%. Because
the virus can no
longer move from
the transmitter
to a surface the
overall risk is
decreased by
98%. The most
efficient
vaccine is only
95%. CATER masks
can quickly be
made available.
Facilities
adopting the
CATER 95
Protocol could
immediately
open.
CATER
(Comfortable,
Attractive,
Tight Fitting,
Efficient,
Reusable) masks
are available
from multiple
vendors who can
supply all the
needs quickly.
Industrial
companies,
corporate
offices,
retailers, gyms
and any facility
where the access
is limited to
CATER mask
wearers should
be able to
operate
normally. Each
employee or
visitor would
have to wear an
approved mask.
The CATER 95 is
more than 90
times more
effective than
the typical mask
now being worn.
It is more than
70 times more
effective than
the proposed
ASTM 20 mask. A
facility which
is 100% open
with everyone
wearing a CATER
95 mask will be
25 times safer
than a facility
which is only
25% open but
allows any type
of mask to be
worn.
The filter media
efficiency is
easier to
quantify and can
be supplied by
Nelson Labs and
the others in
the business.
Air leakage and
the need for a
tight fit is
much more
difficult to
address.
The problem with
public masks is
the manner in
which they are
worn. A basic
variable is mask
size. Some
suppliers offer
five different
sizes. If the
right size is
being worn what
is the air in
leakage (around
not through the
mask).
It is going to
be impossible to
set rigid
standards.
However multiple
levels of
accreditation
can be
incorporated.
The fit
testing
companies who
would be capable
of any degree of
assessment can
provide both
qualitative and
quantitative fit
testing. Due to
cost this
testing would be
mostly on
typical
individuals
rather than each
individual.
It could
also be once per
year in some
settings where
there is high
concern.
A new class of
providers could
provide testing
for individuals.
The fitness
centers would be
a good example.
They could offer
services to
nonmembers as
well as members.
There would be
people at the
entrances of
facilities.
Their role could
even be expanded
to provide
advice and do a
visual
inspection as to
whether the
person appears
to be wearing
the right size.
Fitness centers
can expand
the
meaning of their
name to actually
do fit testing.
We show an
example below
where a fitness
center can
expand from 25%
capacity with
non specified
masks to 100%
capacity
and generate
additional
revenue by
providing COVID
advice
and fit testing.
Many of these
fitness centers
have physical
therapists.
they
could take some
educational
course similar
to the one on
filtration
expertise
offered by
Waterloo
filtration
Institute
Schools would be
a priority for
CATER 95 mask
bubbles.
With the 98%
overall virus
reduction every
school could
reopen.
Lunchrooms could
be fitted with
HEPA filtered
laminar air
systems. Many of
the HVAC
upgrades would
be less urgent
and could be
postponed to
post COVID or at
least initiated
in a cost
effective
manner.
No visitors
would be allowed
inside the
buildings unless
they were
wearing a CATER
95 efficiency
mask or at least
one with more
than 90%
efficiency. At
the school
entrance the
guard could be
knowledgeable
about mask
sizing and
provide advice.
He could
question
individuals who
might have an
accredited mask
but look to be
wearing the
wrong size mask.
Sports Teams
could have their
own masks with a
logo for their
fans.
The admission
cost to a sports
stadium could
include the
requirement of a
CATER 95. Masks
with the team
logo could be
offered for
sale. There
could be cursory
scrutiny at the
gate where the
accreditation is
checked along
with visual
inspection to
determine if the
right size of
mask is
apparently being
worn.
All eating and
drinking would
be in designated
areas adjacent
to the food
stands and would
include HEPA
filtered
downward laminar
flow air. Social
distancing would
not be required
in this area if
the laminar flow
is at 50-100
fpm.
High end
restaurants
could attract
large numbers of
diners
A $30 CATER mask
which would be
usable for 30 or
even 90 days is
a small cost for
someone paying
$30 for a single
meal.
Restaurants
could sell masks
to customers and
also provide
advice so that
the right size
mask is worn.
In the actual
dining area fan
filter units
(FFU) could be
supplied to
provide ceiling
to floor HEPA
filtered air. A
table of four
could be
supplied by one
ceiling unit
costing less
than $1000.
So a
seating area for
100 people would
only require a
$25,000
investment in
FFUs
The service
staff will not
be removing
their masks.
This gives
diners
confidence that
they will not
become infected
from these
individuals.
Retail stores
can profit from
the clean air
image.
Large retailers
can have a kiosk
at the store
entrance. They
can sell masks
but also offer
advice to
customers on
mask sizing and
fit. We are
forecasting a
worldwide mask
market in the
next 12 months
of $100 billion.
So these
masks will
outsell gym
shoes and
all other
items of
clothing.
COVID can be a
reason to draw
people to the
stores.
The
advice they will
receive at the
kiosk will give
them comfort.
The larger
stores could
even offer
qualitative fit
testing.
Gyms and fitness
centers can
instruct members
and nonmembers
on mask use and
increase profits
to more than pre
COVID levels. The Minnesota governor confirmed, beginning Saturday, Dec. 19, gyms can open at 25% capacity or have up to 100 people inside at a time. People also have to now wear masks at all times and keep 12 feet of distance between everyone. "It's not lost on me we're fighting a health care pandemic," said Gov. Walz. "Why would we not want people to be as healthy as they could?" He added that gyms have "figured out smart ways and thought about things, so we hear you on that."
The Minnesota
Department of
Health has
always
maintained gyms
are just
naturally risky
environments and
precautions will
lower the risk,
not eliminate
it. While larger
gyms have long
argued the
spaces are not
the source of
community
spread. The fact that no minimum mask efficiency is stipulated makes this regulation almost meaningless. People would be much safer with CATER 95 masks and 100% occupancy. Health is a skill set provided by gym owners. They can offer their members advice on mask selection. Larger fitness centers may even want to offer at least qualitative testing and expand the meaning of “Fitness” for the centers.
The fit testing
could be offered
to nonmembers as
well as members
and generate
significant
revenues. Fit
testing requires
various
movements during
the tests. So
the fitness
center is
uniquely
qualified.
Gym-based
physical therapy
is a popular new
trend, and for
good reason.
Personal
trainers, gym
owners, physical
therapists, and
clients are
seeing the
multiple
benefits of a
close connection
and good
communication
between physical
therapists and
fitness
professionals. A
physical
therapist can be
vital to a
fitness program
and achieving
fitness goals.
There could be
some mask
education course
including fit
testing which
could be
provided by
universities,
associations, or
even
governments. So
the therapists
could be
accredited to
verify that a
person is
wearing
a mask
which meets the
minimum
standards. The
accreditation
could be similar
to a drivers
license. The
testers who ride
with new drivers
may need courage
but do not have
to have PHD
level knowledge.
Some
organizations
could take a
proactive role.
IHRSA is one.
The mission of
the
International
Health, Racquet
& Sportsclub
Association
(IHRSA) is to
grow, protect,
and promote the
health and
fitness
industry, and to
provide its
members with the
benefits that
will help them
be more
successful.
IHRSA and its
members (health
clubs and
fitness
facilities,
gyms, spas,
sports clubs,
and industry
suppliers) are
dedicated to
make the world
healthier
through regular
exercise. This
mission can be
expanded to also
making the world
healthier
through fit
testing and mask
advice.
IHRSA
could offer
training courses
so that each
club could have
people who can
authoritatively
attest to mask
fitness. With 100% occupancy and an additional revenue source gyms could immediately become more profitable than ever. The use of Fan Filter Units in the locker rooms would be a modest additional cost. To reduce the cost further there could be a protocol where masks are worn in the locker room and taken off only in the shower and toweling area. This would result in a very small area needed to be covered by fan filter units.
Concentra
is a healthcare
company
specializing in
occupational
health and
conducts both
qualitative and
quantitative fit
tests
https://www.concentra.com/physical-exams/respirator-fit-test/respirator-consultation/
Bio-Care began
providing
services to the
Great Lakes
region in 1993
and has since
grown to support
business and
organizations
throughout the
Eastern United
States, with
on-site medical
testing
services. The
focus is to
provide medical
screening
services that
assist
clients
in meeting their
regulatory
compliance
requirements
while also
enhancing
employee health
and safety.
Services include
Respiratory FIT
Testing,
Pulmonary
Function Test,
Physical Exams,
Hearing Testing,
Vaccinations,
Flu Shots,
Wellness
Programs.
Respsafety
has
an online system
to provide fit
testing checking
validation for
OSHA compliance
for as
little as $15
per individual
https://respsafety.com/
Fit Testers,
Inc.
travels
throughout the
United States
performing
respiratory fit
testing and
training.
They perform
both
Quantitative and
Qualitative fit
testing.
They use the TSI
8020 portacounts.
Fit Testers will
also help your
company with
scheduling to
make the
respiratory
program run as
smoothly as
possible.
They provide
services to
chemical plants,
fire department,
mines and all
companies that
have
employees who
are required to
wear respiratory
protection.
Mercy Urgent
Care
conducts qualitative
fit-testing,
a pass/fail test
method that uses
your sense of
taste or smell
to detect
leakage into the
respirator
facepiece.
Whether the
respirator
passes or fails
the test is
based simply on
you detecting
leakage of the
test substance
into your
facepiece. Mercy
uses both
Saccharin, which
leaves a sweet
taste in the
mouth, and
Bitrex, which
leaves a bitter
taste in the
mouth, to test
masks for
leakage.
https://mercyurgentcare.org/n95-respirator-mask-fit-testing/
Examinetics
offers both
qualitative and
quantitative fit
testing and has
been covered in
detail in
previous alerts
A mutation which
apparently makes
the virus 70%
more
transmissible
has been found
in the UK,
Belgium, Italy,
and South
Africa.
Scientists are
worried about
these variants
but not
surprised by
them.
Researchers have
recorded
thousands of
tiny
modifications in
the genetic
material of the
coronavirus as
it has
hopscotched
across the
world.
Strict lockdown
rules to stop
the spread of a
new fast-moving
strain of
COVID-19 may
have to be
applied to all
of England "and
not reduced",
the country's
chief scientific
adviser has
warned. Sir
Patrick Vallance,
the U.K.
government's
science chief,
said that due to
household mixing
over Christmas
"there will be
increases in
numbers [of
COVID cases]
over the next
few weeks."
Speaking at a
press conference
at 10 Downing
Street, Vallance
said it is
"likely" that
the current
lockdown
measures in
England "may
need to be
increased in
some places in
due course and
not reduced".
Prime Minister Boris
Johnson announced
a strict new
lockdown for
millions on
Saturday which
has seen
people's holiday
plans ruined
under a warning
to stay at home,
just days after
Johnson said it
would be
"inhuman" to
cancel
Christmas.
The restrictions
came after
scientists
discovered a new
variant of
COVID-19 in
England's
southeast that
could be up to
70 percent more
transmissible.
The new strain
is fast-moving,
scientists have
said, but does
not appear to be
deadlier or have
an impact on the
success of a
COVID vaccine.
With evidence
suggesting the
new variant
spreads more
easily, Vallance
was asked why
the whole of
England was not
placed under the
toughest "tier
4" stay at home
lockdown
measures. This
currently
applies to
London, Kent,
Essex and
swathes of the
southeast of
England, and
will see people
unable to form
bubbles with
other households
over Christmas
In South Africa,
a similar
version of the
virus has
emerged, sharing
one of the
mutations seen
in the British
variant,
according to
scientists who
detected it.
That virus has
been found in up
to 90 percent of
the samples
whose genetic
sequences have
been analyzed in
South Africa
since
mid-November.
Some variants
become more
common in a
population
simply by luck,
not because the
changes somehow
supercharge the
virus. But as it
becomes more
difficult for
the pathogen to
survive —
because of
vaccinations and
growing immunity
in human
populations —
researchers also
expect the virus
to gain useful
mutations
enabling it to
spread more
easily or to
escape detection
by the immune
system.
“It’s a real
warning that we
need to pay
closer
attention,” said
Jesse Bloom, an
evolutionary
biologist at the
Fred Hutchinson
Cancer Research
Center in
Seattle.
“Certainly these
mutations are
going to spread,
and, definitely,
the scientific
community — we
need to monitor
these mutations
and we need to
characterize
which ones have
effects.”
The British
variant has
about 20
mutations,
including
several that
affect how the
virus locks onto
human cells and
infects them.
These mutations
may allow the
variant to
replicate and
transmit more
efficiently,
said Muge Cevik,
an infectious
disease expert
at the
University of
St. Andrews in
Scotland and a
scientific
adviser to the
British
government.
But the estimate
of greater
transmissibility
— British
officials said
the variant was
as much as 70
percent more
transmissible —
is based on
modeling and has
not been
confirmed in lab
experiments, Dr.
Cevik added.
Here are
highlights
relative to
third quarter
performance
The Americas
segment
encompasses
commercial
heating and
cooling systems,
building
controls, and
energy services
and solutions;
residential
heating and
cooling; and
transport
refrigeration
systems and
solutions.
Brooke
Sutherland of
Bloomberg has
analyzed the
performance and
interviewed
Michael Lamach
CEO of Trane.
She writes that
since Lamach became
CEO in 2010, the
company’s market
value
has tripled to
more than $30
billion. Trane,
a heating and
cooling specialist,
began trading as
a standalone
company in
early March,
just weeks
before the
coronavirus
pandemic turned
the world upside
down. Its debut
was the capstone
of a decade-long
transformation
that began with
a laggard
climate business
acquired by
the former
Ingersoll-Rand
Plc in the
throes of the
financial crisis
and ended with
that same
business
becoming the
company’s crown
jewel.
Valued at more
than 27 times
next year’s
earnings,
investors are
now willing to
pay more for
Tr.ane’s future
profits than
those of most of
its top peers Ingersoll-Rand acquired the business for about $10 billion in 2008, roughly three months before the financial crisis boiled over with the collapse of Lehman Brothers. When the deal was struck, Lamach was running Ingersoll-Rand’s security-products unit. But it soon became clear Ingersoll-Rand had miscalculated on Trane, leaving it with a bloated debt load and a business that badly trailed competitors on technology. Lamach’s job — first as head of Trane’s commercial division, then chief operating officer and eventually CEO — was to clean up the mess.
Trane invested
hundreds of
millions of
dollars
developing
technology with next-generation
refrigerants that
relied on
alternative chemicals
that contribute
less to global
warming. It was
the first HVAC
company to do
so, according to
Lamach, and had
no revenue to
show for it
until the first
products — now
labeled EcoWise
— hit the market
in 2013. It took
several more
years (until
about 2016 by
Lamach’s
estimate) for
Wall Street to
pay attention to
Trane’s
technology
advantage. Only
by 2018 was the
company clearly
outperforming
its peers. Trane
now pairs the
alternative
refrigerants
with software
systems that
scrape data from
buildings and
give
recommendations
on curbing
energy use and
improving air
quality. Other
recent advances
include technology
released to the
European
market that eliminates
the need for
separate boilers
and chillers,
boosting
efficiency by as
much as 400%
compared
with traditional
systems.
The company’s
environmental
and financial
goals
have become so
intertwined that
when Lamach was
preparing a
strategy update
for the board in
late 2018, he
realized 90% of
what he was
writing echoed
the company’s sustainability
initiative and
decided just to
present that
instead. That’s
where Trane’s
2030 goals came
from. The idea
of reducing its
customers’
emissions by one
gigaton may seem
like a feel-good
marketing pitch,
but it’s also an
outcome that
people are more
than willing to
pay for, as
evidenced by the
improvement in
Trane’s profit
margins over the
years.
This combination
of financial
returns
and environmentally
friendly
products got
Lamach named one
of Harvard
Business
Review’s top-performing
CEOs in
2019. The
company’s
sustainability
goals were also
a major driver
in the decision
to divest
Ingersoll-Rand’s
hodgepodge
industrial
unit earlier
this year; the
potential to
curb emissions
through the
Trane business
was so much
greater that it
became “hard to
manage the
internal
messaging,”
Lamach said.
That’s been a
good thing
because business
has been fairly
busy, with the
home-improvement
craze
extending to
HVAC upgrades
and
businesses navigating the
tricky task of
making people
feel comfortable
again in shared
indoor spaces.
Trane’s Thermo
King
refrigerated
trailer business
is also ramping
up production
of freezer parts
to help transport
an eventual
coronavirus
vaccine. Lamach
is worried about
the broader
economy: “If
this many people
are unemployed,
at what point
does that catch
up with us?”
But so far,
Trane hasn’t had
to do major
layoffs because
of the pandemic.
Planet Fitness
isn’t taking
Boston Mayor
Marty Walsh’s
decision to roll
back the city’s
coronavirus
reopening to
Phase 2, Step
2 laying down.
Last week, the
worldwide
fitness company
headquartered in
Hampton, N.H.,
issued a press
release saying
that there is
“zero evidence”
of significant
spread of the
coronavirus at
any of its 75
Massachusetts
locations.
Due to the
city’s reopening
rollback, which
impacts
businesses like
gyms, museums,
and movie
theaters, Planet
Fitness will
close its five
Boston locations
for a minimum of
three weeks
starting on
Wednesday.
Planet Fitness
senior public
relations
manager Becky
Zirlen detailed
the company’s
data in a
statement.
“Through more
than 3 million
check-ins since
reopening in the
state, Planet
Fitness has had
only .001125
percent of
check-ins who
later tested
positive, with
zero evidence
these cases
originated in
the gyms,”
Zirlen said.
“That is 1.1
positive cases
per every
100,000
check-ins.”
Planet Fitness
franchisee Stan
DeMartinis, who
oversees 10
locations in the
Boston area
including the
impacted
locations in
East Boston and
Dorchester, said
he was
frustrated by
the city’s
decision.
“We’ve learned
so much since
March when we
were first shut
down,”
DeMartinis told
Boston.com. “In
March, we
understood the
shutdown. But
the fact is that
we’re one of the
only industries
out there that
can contact
trace our
members, because
they check in
all of the time.
Our position is
going to remain
very firm:
Fitness is
essential, it’s
safe, and we
should be able
to remain open
in our
communities
because of the
benefits we give
to the
consumer.”
Planet Fitness,
which has more
than 2,000
locations
worldwide,
developed a
98-page
reopening
protocol for its
approach to
“social
fitnessing.”
According to
DeMartinis, the
protocols
include
touch-less
check-in,
sanitation
stations
throughout its
gyms, regular
cleaning of
surfaces with
top-grade
chemicals,
fitness machines
that are at
least 6 to 8
feet apart, and
an air purifier
that cycles new
air through the
facility five to
seven times an
hour.
In his press
conference on
Monday, Walsh
said that the
rollback
procedures
weren’t
“targeting
specific
sectors.” But
DeMartinis
doesn’t see it
that way.
“In early March,
we absolutely
got lumped in
with the bars,
the restaurants,
the nightclubs,
the bowling
alleys, and all
that stuff,”
DeMartinis said.
“And so be it,
we didn’t have
the data. But
now nine months
into it, we have
plenty of data,
and there’s more
research coming
out every day.
And it’s almost
like,
unfortunately,
they don’t want
to listen to
it.”
DeMartinis said
that while he
has worked
effectively with
city leadership
in Revere and
other
municipalities
that he operates
in, he hasn’t
enjoyed the same
relationship in
Boston.
“I think the
city of Boston
is overwhelmed,”
DeMartinis said.
“I run two gyms
in that city,
and they’ve
never contacted
me once this
whole time. They
just want to
shut me down.
That’s where the
frustration
comes in.”
DeMartinis
stressed that
the safety of
Planet Fitness
members and
employees
remained the
company’s top
priority. But he
said that he
believes members
who have
continued to
work out at
Planet Fitness
during the
pandemic view
going to the gym
as a
“constitutional
right.”
“Where we are in
the country
today, not to
get into
politics, but
half the people
want to work out
and half don’t,”
DeMartinis said.
“Our members
that come in
right now are
members who have
made their
assessment of
risk. They feel
safe in their
environment to
work out. They
feel they have a
constitutional
right to do
that. And that
is being taken
away from them.”
A Wichita
fitness studio
and its owner
are suing Kansas
for compensation
for being forced
to shut down and
reopen with
restrictions
during the
coronavirus
pandemic.
The lawsuit
filed this week
in Sedgwick
County District
Court by Ryan
Floyd and Omega
Bootcamps Inc.
argues that the
state used his
and the
business’
private property
“for the benefit
of the general
public.”
The lawsuit
cites part of
the state’s
emergency
management law
that says people
can pursue
claims for
compensation in
court if their
property is
“commandeered or
otherwise used”
by state or
local officials.
The Kansas
attorney
general’s office
declined
comment, saying
it’s reviewing
the lawsuit.
Minnesota shut
down gyms in
early December
with a promise
to review the
situation after
the first of the
year. The
reaction to the
decision was
reported in the
Star Tribune.
Two years ago,
Jeffrey Scott
left a 25-year
career in
financial
services to open
a gym on
Minneapolis'
North Side,
where he went to
high school.
Now, after a
second
state-ordered
shutdown of
fitness centers
to fight
coronavirus,
Scott's gym is
facing grim
prospects. "It's
once again
devolving to the
point where I
honestly don't
know whether
we'll survive
it," he said.
With Minnesota's
800 gyms closed
at least through
next week — and
Gov. Tim Walz
expected on
Monday to say
whether they
will stay closed
into January —
many other
fitness club
owners and
operators fear
long-term
damage.
When the
coronavirus
arrived this
spring, Walz
ordered
businesses that
draw large
groups of
people, like
restaurants and
fitness centers,
to close from
mid-March
through early
June. As virus
cases surged
last month, Walz
on Nov. 18
ordered another
closure for at
least four
weeks.
The Minnesota
Department of
Health's contact
tracers in
September began
asking
Minnesotans who
tested positive
for COVID-19
about their use
of fitness
centers. That
research
identified 48
outbreaks of
coronavirus
involving 734
gym members and
three employees.
The most cases,
80, were tied to
a fitness center
at the
University of
Minnesota, one
of six college
campus gyms with
an outbreak.
At least
734 cases have
been tied to
people who were
at fitness
centers.
"The longer you
are near someone
in a smaller
space and if
you're doing
things that make
you breathe
harder, the
chance of
infections go
up," Walz said
on Dec. 1 as he
acknowledged the
inconsistency of
closing health
clubs while big
retailers and
liquor stores
are open.
With executives
from
Minnesota-based
chains Life
Time, Anytime
and Snap Fitness
leading the way,
the state's
fitness
executives and
owners have
waged a campaign
to pressure Walz
to let them
reopen. They
offered to adopt
more stringent
safety measures,
including
reducing
occupancy to 10
from 25% and
requiring people
to wear masks as
they work out.
They dispute the
Health
Department's
view of the data
and portrayal of
the risks people
face in gyms.
And they note
they're in the
business of
helping people
fight obesity,
diabetes and
other risk
factors for
severe cases of
COVID-19.
"There is gross
negligence in
the decision
making process,"
said Bahram
Akradi, founder
and chief
executive of
Chanhassen-based
Life Time, which
has 152 clubs
nationwide and
23 in Minnesota.
The firm filed a
data practices
request with the
state about the
spread or
transmission of
COVID-19 at
fitness centers.
"We're in the
health
business," said
Chuck Runyon,
chief executive
of Self-Esteem
Brands, which
operates Anytime
Fitness. "This
isn't just 'come
work out and
let's charge
money.' We all
have to take
health seriously
as club owners.
We're taking
COVID
seriously."
John and Kelsey
Schultz believe
they've been
responsible gym
owners. They
sold 13 pieces
of equipment to
make it easier
to social
distance at
their Anytime
Fitness gyms in
Sartell and Sauk
Rapids. They
hired someone
specifically to
clean those two
facilities and
their yoga
business in
Sartell, called
KPower Yoga.
Since reopening,
three people
have called the
gym to say
they'd tested
positive for
COVID. Because
the clubs now
require
registration for
classes, Kelsey
Schultz said she
could easily
notify everyone
in the class to
get tested, even
identifying
those standing
next to the
infected member.
"In every case
we quarantined
them from the
gym until they
got tested and
could wait some
time out. None
of those led to
additional
positive cases,"
she said. "You
can say there's
three cases, but
it didn't come
from the gym."
Brandon Reiter,
owner of
Plainview
Wellness Center
in Plainview,
kept it open
after the Nov.
18 closure
order, which he
called "a
massive
overreach that
will harm a lot
of small
businesses."
Attorney General
Keith Ellison
sued Reiter and,
last week, a
judge ruled in
the state's
favor.
"I respect the
judge's
decision,
although I don't
agree with it,"
Reiter said. "I
knew it was
going to be an
uphill battle."
There's scant
data about how
the coronavirus
spreads in gyms.
Studies from the
British journal Nature and
the Centers
for Disease
Control and
Prevention suggest
that working out
at gyms may be
less risky than
other
activities,
though
researchers in
both studies
acknowledged
limitations.
The
International
Health, Racquet
and Sportsclub
Association
(IHRSA), a trade
group, sponsored
a study that
found a
"virus-to-visit"
ratio of 0.002%
out of 49.4
million gym
visits between
June and August.
Some experts questioned the
research, but
the figures have
been cited often
by Minnesota's
fitness leaders
and the IHRSA,
which stands by
them.
"We understand
that the risk of
contracting
COVID-19 is not
— and can never
be — zero for
any business,"
IHRSA
spokesperson
Sami Smith said
in an e-mail.
"Overall, health
and fitness
clubs are not
hot spots."
Minnesota health
officials
identified
outbreaks at 10
Life Time
locations, with
two clubs tied
to separate
outbreaks. The
clubs were
linked to 198
confirmed
coronavirus
cases.
Life Time's
corporate
figures show an
infection rate
of less than 1%
among 3.17
million visits
to its Minnesota
gyms since
reopening.
Mitigation
efforts such as
sophisticated
air purification
systems and
massive cleaning
protocols are
working, Akradi
said.
Akradi said his
larger concern
is the beating
the industry has
suffered at the
hands of public
officials who
give the
impression that
clubs aren't
safe.
Congress and the
Legislature are
debating whether
to provide
special
financial relief
to health clubs.
A bipartisan
bill introduced
in Congress in
early October
would provide
$30 billion in
grants to club
owners, capped
at 10% of losses
of the 2019
revenue, or $10
million.
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