COVID-19 RELATED POLICIES
(updated 7/21/22)
Maintaining the health and safety of our staff and members remains our #1 priority.
Making sure that people also feel safe while in our building is "mission critical" for our business. Therefore we will refuse entry to - or remove - anyone who is unwilling to abide by our policies.
ENTRANCE POLICY:
We require all who enter our building to either:
1) Show proof of vaccination, or
2) Wear a mask at all times while inside our building.
RETURN FROM COVID POLICY:
If you have had COVID, we require both of the following before you can return to Fitness at Chatham Works:
1) Be symptom-free for at least 3 days, AND
2) Test negative.
We also strongly recommend that you get clearance from your physician before returning to exercise - particularly if you have any reason to believe you might be at risk for symptoms related to "long COVID" or myocarditis.
Reference Information:
CDC Quarantine & Isolation Guidelines & Mass. DPH COVID-19 Isolation and Quarantine Guidance for the General Public ➜ Please note that we make our own policies, which reflect our view that - due to its nature - fitness should be held to a higher standard than regular activities.
American College of Cardiology paper on return to physical activity for COVID patients.
Five Things to Keep in Mind When Returning to Exercise after COVID
Monomoy Regional High School Post COVID-19 Positive Activity Clearance Form (provided here simply as a reference)
2/7/22 UPDATE: Mask Order Rescinded by Chatham Board of Health
Masks are now optional at Chatham Works for those who are fully vaccinated, and mandatory for those who are not fully vaccinated. Proof of vaccination is required to be exempt from the mask requirement.*
(*We are well aware that this policy may seem arbitrary to some, and may have limited scientific basis.)
BACKGROUND:
As our members can attest, we've taken COVID seriously since before the initial shutdown in March, 2020.
In a member survey we concluded on 4/29/21:
- 95% of our members said they strongly feel that we've acted in the best interests of our members and staff as we navigate COVID.
- 82% said they were fully vaccinated, 12% said they were partially vaccinated, and 97% said they planned to get fully vaccinated.
A NOTE ABOUT VENTILATION:
As "the science" has evolved, it has become increasingly accepted that spread via surface contact is quite rare, and that transmission happens mostly through the air.
We believe it's fair to say that we have much better ventilation than most commercial buildings, and vastly better ventilation than most fitness centers.
- Our facility benefits from having many windows which give it excellent natural ventilation.
- We augment this by placing exhaust fans in windows during classes to create negative pressure.
- In addition, our HVAC system automatically mixes in 20% fresh air.
Researchers have recommended using CO2 monitors to gauge the level of exhaled air in indoor spaces. Every single time we've measured CO2 in our facility - even during our most intense classes - our CO2 readings have always come back as "LOW".