Indoor Group Fitness Classes Can Resume On Saturday

According to the press conference held by Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, indoor group fitness classes can begin again on Saturday, January 16, 2021. Non-contact sports may also resume this weekend. 

Back in November, group exercise classes were paused. But now, The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services updated their order. Whitmer is urging Michiganders to continue observing COVID-19 safety protocols, including mask-wearing and social distancing.

In her presser, Whitmer was joined by Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Director Robert Gordon. At the conference, Gordon stated,

"We are glad that we made it through the holidays without a big increase in numbers, but there are also worrying signs in the new numbers. We need to remain focused and continue to see declines in hospitalizations and to bring case rates and percent positivity down by doing what we know works.”

Masks are asked to be worn during group exercise. Cedric X. Bryant, the president and chief science officer of the American Council on Exercise, told the New York Times, 

“In my personal experience, heart rates are higher at the same relative intensity when you wear a mask.”

Bryant goes on to say,

 

“You should anticipate that it will be about eight to 10 beats higher per minute when you wear a mask than when you do not."

Len Kravitz, a professor of exercise science at the University of New Mexico, reports that some people also could experience lightheadedness during familiar workouts while masked.

Indoor dining, water parks and night clubs remain closed.