Key West gyms reopen after coronavirus shutdown with some new tools of the trade
Dan Reynen reopened his WeBeFit Personal Training gym in Key West on Monday with copper coating the dumbbell grips, the door handles and the front desk.
Copper, known to kill the novel coronavirus along with other bacteria, was added just in time for the governor’s decision to reopen gyms and fitness centers throughout most of Florida. Broward and Miami-Dade counties were excused. Fort Lauderdale planned to allow gyms to open.
In these uncertain days, Reynen is not taking any chances that any of his six trainers or list of clients getting sick. And he’s done his homework on copper, ultraviolet light sanitizers and even face masks.
“Our average client age is 52 years old,” Reynen said. “There is no excuse for any facility to open up and risk their employees’ health or their customers’ health because they want to make a dollar off a session.”
So at WeBeFit, which reopened Monday along with others in the Southernmost City, clients must have their temperatures taken and recorded upon entering the gym, wash their hands first and wear face masks at all times.
Reynen had a special design, which is kept snug with a metal piece on the bridge of the nose and has an opening for a filter, made in Key West.
Those safety procedures are outlined in the city’s directive on gyms and fitness centers reopening, although the order does say masks must be worn “except while engaged in strenuous physical activity.”
For many in Key West, it was a return to some type of normalcy — and getting back to business.
“It was a relief,” said Raquel Robbins, manager at Old Town Fitness, which reopened after nearly two months. Doors swung open at 6 a.m. Monday with extra bottles of disinfectant and towels planted at various stations.
“It felt good to have the community back together,” Robbins said. “It’s a family. It felt good to have my family back.”
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday announced gyms and fitness centers may reopen Monday and also that restaurants and retail may invite in customers up to 50 percent of a building’s capacity.
Bars and movie theaters remain closed.
“We would have liked more notice but we had two months to prepare for opening,” said Calvin Paquette, who owns the Body Zone gym and reopened at 5:30 a.m.. “We spent a lot of time cleaning and making sure we had the right protocols in place.”
The gym reopening was overshadowed Sunday night when Monroe County announced it would reopen the Florida Keys to tourists June 1.
Paquette said the client response early Monday morning was smaller than usual. But he expects in another week or so, more people will feel comfortable to show up again.
Gyms have done away with magazines and other clutter, per the city’s orders, and they are watching as people disinfect equipment after every use.
WeBeFit has gone beyond the city’s orders, though.
Reynen wore eye protection Monday in addition to a face mask inspired by the rock band KISS.
The gym also has ultraviolet light sanitizers at hand and is installing floor to ceiling curtains to separate workout sites for clients.
They also use a mister bottle filled with a 70 percent alcohol solution to wipe everything down between clients.
And what’s with the copper?
Copper is known to kill bacteria and respiratory viruses including the novel coronavirus, studies show, according to the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. The coronavirus can remain infectious on cardboard for up to 24 hours and four hours on copper, one study determined.
“This will kill everything within 20 to 30 seconds,” Reynen said, while spraying a dumbbell grip. “I just killed the virus through two different ways: the copper and the spray.”
This story was originally published May 18, 2020 at 5:30 PM.
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