GYM OUTBREAKS TRACED
Study finds spread at high-intensity, in-person classes
• CDC encourages stricter precautions after study of spread at indoor exercise classes.
Public health officials Wednesday urged gym-goers to wear masks when they work out and to remain 6 feet apart, as research described the spread of coronavirus infections during high-intensity exercise classes at gyms in Honolulu and Chicago.
Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised fitness centers to implement measures to prevent outbreaks, including enforcing proper mask use and reminding gym and staff members to stay home if they have symptoms of illness or have tested positive for the virus.
Heavy breathing during intense physical activity in confined, indoor spaces increases chances of transmission, and teachers who shouted exercise instructions to members may have contributed to the spread, the CDC research found.
At a gym in Chicago, the CDC identified 55 infections among 81 people who attended high-intensity inperson fitness classes between Aug. 24 and Sept 1.
Among them were 22 people who had gone to the classes on the day they developed their first symptoms of illness, or the day after. Three went to an exercise class on the day they received a positive test result indicating they had been infected, or the day after. In all, 43 who tested positive participated in classes when they were possibly infectious.
The outbreak occurred even though classes at the gym were limited to 25 percent of their usual size.
Members were required to wear masks when they entered the gym. But they were allowed to remove their masks while exercising; those who were infected were more likely to wear masks infrequently during classes.
In Hawaii, public health investigators linked 21 infections to a 37-year-old male fitness instructor in Honolulu who taught at several facilities and developed symptoms of COVID-19 — body aches, chills, headache and cough — at the end of June, according to a CDC report published Wednesday.
On June 29, just hours before his first symptoms, he taught an hourlong stationary cycling class. All 10 class participants, none of whom wore a mask, tested positive for COVID-19 in early July. Among them was another fitness instructor, a 46-yearold man, who worked at another facility. He became acutely ill and was hospitalized in an intensive care unit.
Twelve hours before the second instructor experienced his first symptoms, he held several small kickboxing sessions and a personal training session. Of 11 people exposed, 10 were infected and tested positive in early July. All 10 developed symptoms, and one was hospitalized in an intensive care unit.
On July 22, Honolulu passed emergency orders requiring face coverings in fitness centers, including during exercise. Before the order was passed, gym members could remove their face coverings while exercising.