CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- A new report revealed people who attended classes at a gym in Chicago got much more than a workout.
The report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found indoor high-intensity classes at a Chicago exercise facility were responsible for a COVID-19 outbreak.
The COVID-19 cases were identified among 55 of 81 attendees of in-person classes held between Aug. 24 and Sept. 1. The report found that overall, 43 attendees with COVID-19 participated in multiple classes while potentially infectious.
Between Aug. 24 and Sept. 1, the exercise facility offered four to eight high-intensity indoor classes daily. All classes were held at less than 25 percent capacity (about 10 to 15 people per class). Mask use, temperature checks, and symptom screenings were required on entry; however, patrons were allowed to remove masks during exercise. Class members brought their own mats and weights and were stationed more than 6 feet apart.
The report found that among 58 exercise class attendees who provided information to the CDC on in-class behaviors, 44 reported infrequent mask use, including 32 of 38 attendees with COVID-19 and 12 of 20 without COVID-19.
Two of the patrons who caught the virus visited the emergency room and one was hospitalized for eight days. No deaths were reported from any of the cases linked to the gym.
The report does not name the business, and the Chicago Department of Public Health was notified of the outbreak in early September.
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The report reinforces public health guidance that mask wearing — and staying home when ill — is critical to reduce the spread of the virus, particularly during indoor group activities like exercise classes. Masks should be worn even during high-intensity exercise and when spaced 6 feet apart, according to the report.
The report also recommended virtual or online exercise classes as safer alternatives.
“To reduce SARS-CoV-2 transmission in fitness facilities, attendees should wear a mask, including during high-intensity activities when (more than) six feet apart,” said the report, which added that facilities should enforce physical distancing and isolation after symptoms begin. “Exercising outdoors or virtually could further reduce (virus) transmission risk.”
The CDC also encouraged gyms to take precautions like improve building ventilation, enforce proper mask use and remind patrons and employees to stay home and observe quarantine guidance after symptom onset or possible infection.
“The increased respiratory exertion that occurs in the enclosed spaces of indoor exercise facilities facilitates transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in these settings,” the report said. “To reduce SARS-CoV-2 transmission in exercise facilities, employees and patrons should wear a mask, even during high-intensity activities when more than six feet apart.”