Doctors for Safe, Open Gyms
The presence of chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension strongly predicts morbidity and mortality from COVID-19 infections. Regular attendance at a CrossFit box provides both a strong hedge against developing these chronic diseases as well as an opportunity to reverse them. Boxes need to be able to operate safely and sustainably so they can survive and continue to support the prevention and reversal of chronic diseases that are fatal in their own right.
Your medical society needs to know this, to recognize it, and to advocate this position to your state’s governor on your behalf. Please fill out the form below to show your support and join other physicians in your state advocating this position to your state’s medical society or medical association.
Before we send the finalized letter to your medical society or association, we will send you a copy of the letter for your review. Below is an example letter that will serve as the basis for the letter for your state.
Example Letter
President and Members of the Board:
We, the undersigned medical doctors, write to impress upon you the importance of keeping gyms and fitness facilities operational, safely and sustainably, throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
The presence of chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension strongly predicts morbidity and mortality from COVID-19 infections. Gyms and fitness facilities offer the opportunity to prevent and reverse these diseases. Diet and exercise are the primary interventions recommended by physicians for the major risk factors for severe COVID-19. Accordingly, gyms and fitness facilities should be prioritized for operation, with safety requirements in place to mitigate the transmission of SARS-CoV-2.
Policymakers must consider the deleterious impact of long-term disruptions to fitness facilities. Long-term closure of gyms may lead to increased incidence of leading causes of mortality, including heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, cancer, and stroke. Beyond increasing the mortality risk of those with COVID-19, these diseases increase all-cause morbidity and mortality. They are prevented by regular physical activity, which exercise facilities provide most effectively. The outright closure of exercise facilities portends a significant and unnecessary increase in lifestyle preventable diseases following the pandemic.
Since mid-2020, surveys have consistently found that gyms lead to very few cases of COVID transmission. One European survey (SafeACTIVE) found only 487 positive COVID cases among 62 million visits to gyms and fitness facilities. Surveys in Australia and the U.K. similarly found fewer than 1 in every 100,000 gym visitors is infected. None of these surveys documented a confirmed case of COVID transmission within a gym.
Though this overwhelming data points to gyms’ relative safety, gyms and fitness facilities also can adhere to the very same strict safety measures as medical clinics, pharmacies, grocery stores, and other essential businesses. Fitness facilities can implement simple and effective protocols that help mitigate the risk of exposure. These include pre-class registration, a COVID-19 screening questionnaire, occupancy limits, regular sanitization of equipment before and after every use, physical distancing, and mask-wearing. Should experts in health, including ourselves, determine there are more effective measures to be put in place, we do not doubt that the overwhelming majority of fitness facilities would comply.
The indiscriminate closure of all facilities overlooks the many reasonable and feasible protective measures that can be put in place to diminish viral spread. We need gyms and fitness facilities open to optimize health in our patients, and we cannot do this alone. As members of the medical society in good standing, we request that it join us in advocating our position to the governor and their administration. Our patients’ and the public’s health is at stake.
Sincerely,