Why clubs like The Edge and The Atlantic Club are enrolling staff in the John Hopkins COVID-19 Contact Tracing Course.
One of the biggest challenges the fitness industry has faced over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic is perception. In many states, policymakers and certain media have viewed gyms and health clubs as unclean, unsafe and unprofessional. As a result, club operators across the U.S. are executing a number of strategies to overcome misconceptions and open up discussions with government officials.
One strategy The Atlantic Club and The EDGE in Vermont have found effective in fostering credibility is continuing education. Over the past month, The Atlantic Club in particular has put nine people through the John Hopkins COVID-19 Contact Tracing Course, which educates participants on how SARS-CoV-2 is spread, defines “an infectious contact,” and much more.
According to Kevin McHugh, the COO of The Atlantic Club, putting team members through the course showcases to your members a high commitment to safety, and demonstrates to state representatives that gyms are taking the pandemic seriously.
“We have nine graduates, including myself, who have gone through this course and we will be asking our 200-plus New Jersey Fitness Alliance members to also have their owners or key senior management to complete this course,” said McHugh. “Once we gain substantial mass, we will forward a document to our Governor Murphy as well as his team and show them how the health and fitness industry continues to showcase their commitment to safety for their employees and members. We believe that aligning with this course may be as strong as any article and provides positive reinforcement of our message that we are safe.”
Learning objectives of the John Hopkins COVID-19 Contact Tracing Course, courtesy of John Hopkins, include:
- Describe the natural history of SARS-CoV-2 , including the infectious period, the presentation of COVID-19, and evidence for how it is transmitted.
- Define an infectious contact and timeline for public health intervention through contact tracing.
- Demonstrate the utility of case investigation and contact tracing, identify common barriers, and possible strategies to overcome them.
- Present some ethical considerations around contact tracing, isolation and quarantine.
The John Hopkins COVID-19 Contact Tracing Course is free and takes about seven hours to complete.
“I am recommending that we all review our tactics and instead of defending our industry maybe surprise them with some positive enforcement of our industry being one of the safest industries in the country,” continued McHugh. “This course would be a great start because it’s free and requires only the club owners’ and operators’ time.”
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Rachel Zabonick-Chonko is the editor-in-chief of Club Solutions Magazine. She can be reached at rachel@peakemedia.com.
