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A person wears a face mask outside the Equinox Sports Club and Upper West Side Gymnasium as the city continues with Phase 4 reopening following restrictions imposed to slow the spread of the coronavirus on August 16, 2020 in New York.
Noam Galai | Getty Images
SoulCycle Equinox Group parent company said on Monday that its members, runners and staff will be required to show a one-time vaccination proof to enter its facilities, starting early next month.
The company will launch this effort in New York City, she said in a press release.
To get an idea of the vaccine status, Equinox said it recently conducted a survey and found that 96% of its members said they had already been vaccinated against Covid-19, along with 89% of employees.
The upscale fitness chain added that an “overwhelming majority” of its paying customers favor requiring vaccines to enter its cycling clubs and studios.
“We have a responsibility to take bold action and respond urgently to changing circumstances,” said Harvey Spevak, Executive Chairman of Equinox Group. “We encourage other great brands to join us in this effort to best protect our communities.”
The announcement comes on the same day New York Governor Andrew Cuomo asked private businesses, such as bars and restaurants, to require proof of vaccination as a condition of admission.
The number of daily Covid cases in New York City has “quadrupled” to more than 2,000 cases over the past month, as the highly contagious delta variant spreads, Cuomo said.
Equinox operates more than 100 fitness clubs around the world, including 40 in New York City. The majority of its SoulCycle studios are also located in the New York area.
A spokesperson said the company had made no changes to its mask policy, which is based on local guidelines. In New York, visitors who are fully vaccinated can remove their masks, while those who are not fully vaccinated are asked to always wear a face cover.
When the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in May said fully vaccinated people no longer needed to wear masks, Spevak told CNBC there was a rush of people to sign up for new memberships and use his facilities.
People who want to return to the gym are likely tired of their home fitness programs or lack equipment such as treadmills and weights. Many also missed the social aspect of a group fitness class.
The latest CDC guidelines, however, called into question gym masking and vaccination policies. The health body again recommends that fully vaccinated people wear masks indoors and in places with high Covid transmission rates. The contagious delta variant has led to a resurgence of Covid cases in around two-thirds of the country.
The reversal could mean more people are suspending their gym memberships or canceling them altogether.
It could also mean that chains are taking a stricter stance on their own directions, as Equinox has.
A spokesperson for Crunch Fitness said the gym operator is actively monitoring the situation with the delta variant and continues to allow vaccinated members to train without a mask, unless there is a demanding local mandate. facial covers inside.
Representatives for Planet Fitness and Life Time Fitness did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.
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