Gyms across New York reopen, welcome back members inside

LATHAM, N.Y. (NEWS10) – After being one of the first to close and last to reopen, gyms in New York are finally able to welcome back members.

“It’s been five long, long months to get back to where we are today,” Owner of ABC Sports & Fitness, Matt Doheny, said. “Just to see our family back at it at 5 o’clock in the morning…I can’t tell you how excited we are.”

It’s a day both gym owners and goers have been waiting on.

“I couldn’t sleep, I was making my workout in my sleep. You know?” Personal trainer and member, Kelli Anne Carr, said. “So I was like, up before my alarm and it was awesome. It was great to see all of these happy faces.”

With temperature checks at the door and face masks required, Doheny says it’ll be a bit different than your normal workout session.

“Just how New York opened in phases just to see how things go, to take care of operational issues, we are opening in phases as well,” Doheny said. “So we are not just going to open the gym at once like a free-for-all, we are opening up in small increments to maintain crowd control and also for the safety of the members.”

For many of those members, there was no better feeling than picking up the weights and breaking a sweat again.

“I feel like I belong again,” Member, Adrian Myers, said. “Not being able to do anything does keep my mind wandering all over the place, so being able to come here, finally, has helped me calm down and I’m able to just do more stuff.”

While ABC Sports & Fitness says they’ll have staff cleaning the equipment on a regular basis to protect members, Myers says they have to do their job, as well.

“At the end of the day, it’s on us, as members of the gym whatever gym you go to, to clean up after yourself.” Myers said.

With every safety protocol in place, Doheny says they’ll be heavily enforced.

“My business is on the line. The same business that employs my family and also my friends, it’s on the line,” Doheny said. “So, not only is the member safety at the turn, but also my business. We want everyone to abide by the rules and make sure we can stay open.”

• Rookie Tight Ends Asiasi, Keene showing upside at Patriots camp
• Washington County coronavirus update
• Dems hammer DeJoy: ‘How can one person screw this up in just a few weeks?’
• Hand sanitizer recall: A new contaminant warning as more products added to the FDA list
• Boy Scout and friends take part in 50-hour forest clean up