Life Time Invests in Air Filtration to Keep Members Safe
For many people, exercise is an essential part of their daily routine.
“It is a priority in my life. It just makes you feel better,” said Renee Haney, a member of the Plymouth Life Time. “It makes you start every day better.”
But in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s important for people who frequent the gym — as well as the gym itself — to take some extra precautions.
“I think they’re doing a great job, and gym people clean their equipment anyway,” Haney said.
Since Life Time clubs reopened after state-mandated shutdowns, they’ve had roughly 14.5 million visits nationwide.
“Of all those visits, there’s 2,006 people who we’ve heard from who have either said that they’re positive, or felt that they had symptoms,” said Bryan Janowiec, Life Time’s vice president of facility operations. “So as a percentage basis, that’s .014%”
Janowiec says it’s a number Life Time is happy with, considering the large number of visits.
It certainly helps that disinfectant solution and hand sanitizing equipment is everywhere.
“In addition to that, all of our team members now, as part of their uniform, which is kind of fun, have a bottle of disinfectant on them,” Janowiec said. “And when they’re not interacting with a member, or they’re not handling an issue with checking someone in or whatever that is, they’re cleaning one of those surfaces.”
Since Life Time clubs reopened after state-mandated shut-downs, it’s had roughly 14.5 million visits nationwide.
Taking things one step further
Yet even with all of those protocols in place, Life Time took things one step further and invested in improvements to its air filtration systems.
“So the indoor air quality piece, we did three major aspects, which was to increase outside air, we added MERV 13 filters in place, and we increased the run time of the units, so we’re exchanging more air, more often,” Janowiec said.
Life Time officials say the new air filters put their clubs on par with filters typically used in hospitals, which capture particles as tiny as sneeze droplets.
It’s an important tool as temperatures drop and more people spend time indoors.
Yet they want to stress that club members still have a personal responsibility to follow the rules regarding personal hygiene and social distancing to help mitigate the spread of the coronavirus.
