The virus SARS-CoV-2 leaves its traces all over the world. Increased safety standards also apply in Germany, the effects of the pathogen can be felt everywhere. Events are cancelled, FIBO has been postponed indefinitely, disinfectants are in short supply everywhere. Here you can find out what you can do as a gym operator to protect your members.
Interesting facts about COVID-19
The coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 is not a new virus, it is a new mutation of the virus which causes the disease COVID-19. COVID-19 is a respiratory illness that is very difficult to distinguish from a common cold or viral flu illness. Symptoms include fever, dry cough, and muscle aches; in some cases, the disease also manifests as a general feeling of severe illness and back pain. In a few cases, symptoms of the upper respiratory tract are also possible, these include a cold and scratchy throat, sometimes a COVID-19 illness is also accompanied by diarrhea.
With a baseline reproduction number of 2.2, the risk of spreading is higher than that of a normal flu caused by viruses (baseline reproduction number 1.2) but significantly lower than that of bacterial colds (baseline reproduction number between 12 and 17). In simple terms, the baseline reproduction number indicates the average number of people infected by one person: SARS-CoV-2 carriers infect an average of 2.2 other people, while a person with a bacterial cold infects 12 - 17 other people.
Contact with the coronavirus can lead to symptoms after an incubation period of 2.5 - 12.5 days, which is why a quarantine period of 14 days is imposed in suspected cases.
In 81% of all infected persons COVID-19 takes a mild course of disease, in 14% of cases the course is severe, in 5% of cases critical. According to the WHO, there are currently 1296 confirmed cases of Corona infection in Germany. This means that 0.002% of Germans are affected by Corona infection. In comparison, as of 06 March 2020, 119,280 confirmed cases of influenza have already been reported in Germany, which corresponds to 0.15% of the population.
Hygiene measures in the gym
In principle, the normal hygiene regulations for fitness studios are already completely sufficient to protect your members, employees and yourself from the spread of the Corona virus.
It is best to check your hygiene plan once again and ensure that it is adhered to.
Hygiene regulations state that gym areas must be cleaned and disinfected at these intervals:
- Toilets, showers, barefoot area → daily.
- Surfaces that come into contact with hands → daily
- Training equipment → 1x per week
- Floors in sports and entrance areas → 1x per week
- Windows, doors, cupboards → 1x per month
Due to the acute situation, you can adjust the hygiene plan and slightly reduce the time interval in cleaning and disinfection. Normally, the studio and the members work hand in hand especially when it comes to the hygiene of the training equipment, most members certainly also use the disinfectants offered to clean the equipment after the workout - however, it is better to play it safe at this point and have your staff disinfect the equipment 1x a day .
Get your members on board!
The most effective way to prevent the spread of coronavirus is for everyone to follow some simple hygiene measures . Suitable infographics are provided by the Federal Ministry of Health, the infographic as pdf can be found here.
Further information on hygiene and a wealth of different infographics is provided by the Federal Centre for Health Education via the portal infektionsschutz.de. Post the hygiene recommendations in your studio so that they are clearly visible. You can also display other infographics such as "Washing your hands properly - adults" in the toilets.
Don't go overboard - you don't need to clutter the entire studio with infographics. These are simple, easy-to-implement hygiene measures that should be standard anyway.
Show your members that you don't take the current situation lightly and are generally well prepared when it comes to hygiene in your gym. To give your members a good, safe feeling about working out, you can make your measures transparent. For example, you can post the hygiene plan in the relevant area and have the staff member carrying it out sign it off. This way, your members can see how clean your gym is.
Corona: What you should keep in mind when visiting your gym
Conclusion
Even though the Corona virus has a firm grip on media coverage, you shouldn't panic. As a gym owner, you should review your hygiene plan and the implementation of hygiene rules in your gym and make adjustments if necessary. With the help of an infographic or two, you can encourage your members to follow some simple measures to make it harder for infectious diseases to spread.
Regular hand washing protects against the spread of the Corona virus! Find soap and soap dispensers at fitnessmarkt.de central shopping now!
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Editors fitnessmarkt.de (DG)
Photo credit: #325332407 Prostock-studio / stock.adobe.com
Published on: 11 March 2020