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IHRSA: Success By Association<\/p>\nIHRSA: Success By Association<\/p>\n
BOSTON, MA<\/strong> – It’s been over four months since the first countries began mandating the closure of more than 200,000 fitness clubs across the globe, with China closing clubs on 24 January.<\/p>\n Since the lockdown period began, global exercise levels have declined sharply. The more than 200 million global health club members have been without access to their health clubs. This lockdown has had a disastrous impact on mental health, stress and depression, all serious afflictions mitigated by regular exercise.<\/p>\n Since physical activity plays a crucial role in wellness, the continued closures of health clubs are putting the world\u2019s health at risk when health and immunity have never been more important.<\/p>\n Because of this, IHRSA, the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association, is assisting the industry to open as quickly as safely possible. IHRSA is working with national fitness industry federations and fitness industry leaders across the globe to ramp up efforts and guidance to help club operators open quickly and safely by working with their national and local governments.<\/p>\n A number of factors contribute to the efforts of successful reopening, including:<\/p>\n As part of IHRSA\u2019s efforts to help clubs open across the globe, IHRSA is:<\/p>\n IHRSA created the framework with reference to the World Health Organization (WHO), U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), John Hopkins Center for Health Security, as well as consultations with club operators and IHRSA\u2019s federations partners worldwide.<\/p>\n The four prongs include:<\/p>\n In launching the framework, Helen Durkin, IHRSA executive vice president of public policy, said, \u201cIHRSA and the hundreds of thousands of clubs that make up the global fitness industry recognize that the reopening of any business, including health and fitness clubs, is not without risk.\u201d She then noted that the John Hopkins Guidance for Governors states that \u201cit is possible to reduce that risk with targeted mitigation steps.\u201d<\/p>\n We invite club operators across the world to download this framework to share it with their national and local officials, as they work in their regions to reopen.<\/p>\n Many of IHRSA\u2019s national federations, including the Czech Fitness Association, Exercise New Zealand, and ACAD Brasil, as well as club operators, have already prepared detailed documentation and procedures that build on the framework, and have shared that documentation with their governments.<\/p>\n Loni Wang, IHRSA board nominee and CEO of Catic Wellness Clubs in China, and Chief Fitness Officer Walter McDonald, developed new operating procedures prior to reopening in March, and have been revising these procedures based on practice and experience since the phased reopening of their clubs. In the U.S., Jim Worthington, ex-officio of the IHRSA Board, member of the President\u2019s Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition, and owner of the Newtown Athletic Club (NAC), worked with NAC\u2019s Linda Mitchell and Kate Golden to survey a large number of operators to develop and share guidelines.<\/p>\n\n
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