Chicago Stay-At-Home Advisory: Fitness Facilities Excluded

In light of a new Chicago stay-at-home advisory, all fitness facilities have been excluded.

As coronavirus cases in Chicago and the state of Illinois spike, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot imposed new restrictions, including a stay-at-home advisory for the city that will take effect on Monday, November 16.

Jon Brady, the president of Midtown Athletic Clubs in Chicago, said fitness facilities will be excluded from the advisory as a result of the way they have handled safety measures and COVID-19 protocols throughout the pandemic, and with help from the Chicago Medical Society.

“The Mayor has stated that we are not impacted by the stay-at-home advisory for Chicago and Cook County, stating that our track record has shown we are not contributing to the spread of COVID-19,” said Brady in an email to Club Solutions Magazine. “The Chicago Medical Society, which represents 17,000 physicians in Chicagoland, is also lobbying for clubs to stay open as a vital part of the healthcare continuum.”

According to Brady, the Chicago Medical Society has been an integral partner in keeping gyms open, and has sent a letter to the mayor and Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker that urged the leaders to keep gyms open.

In the letter, Tariq H. Butt, the president of the Chicago Medical Society, states:

“Data demonstrates that health clubs are safe environments right now, which is important because prioritizing health and fitness is more essential than ever. We believe that the responsibility is equally shared between the facility and its members to ensure a safe environment. Our physicians and licensed healthcare professionals would not enter an environment that they felt was unsafe and we feel that it is critical to allow them the opportunity to get back into a regular fitness routine, offering innumerable benefits to both their physical and mental health, especially as we enter the winter months.”

You can read the letter in entirety here.