Rockingham Planet Fitness nearing completion

ROCKINGHAM — A Planet Fitness spokesperson on Tuesday confirmed that the company’s new franchise under construction in Richmond Plaza will be ready to open late this summer, although an exact opening date hasn’t been finalized.

Planet Fitness is an operator of approximately 2,039 fitness centers around the country, including many locations already established in North Carolina. All of those North Carolina locations are currently closed in compliance with Phase 2 of the plan to reopen the state’s economy.

“We will be following local officials’ guidelines and will reopen our North Carolina locations when permitted,” Senior Public Relations Manager Becky Zirlen said.

In Phase 2, gyms are among the establishments that are required to remain closed. Phase 2 will be in effect until July 17 at the earliest.

The mandated closures have been contested by gym owners. Blake Altman, owner of Evolution Health Club in Rockingham, was charged with a misdemeanor last month for defying Gov. Roy Cooper’s executive order by opening his business. Altman listed his dwindling finances and lack of government assistance as reasons for his decision to reopen.

State legislators have introduced several bills to allow some businesses ordered closed under Phase 2 to reopen, but none have been successful. One of those bills, House Bill 594, was vetoed by Cooper last week. An attempt to override that veto was unsuccessful. The bill would have allowed gyms and bars in North Carolina to resume operations.

Rep. Scott Brewer, Richmond County’s representative in the N.C. House, voted against the override because he believes that the proposed reopening bills “strip power from the Governor and the state health director to manage this health care emergency no matter how bad things get, and they hamstring local governments dealing with COVID-19 and other matters.”

Later in the week, Brewer voted in favor of H.B. 806, which would put into place a 14-point plan for gyms and fitness centers to follow if they choose to reopen. Those steps include limiting indoor capacity to 40% of the stated fire capacity, requiring employees to wear masks, mandated daily deep cleans and the installation of hand sanitizer stations at each facility.

“We successfully compromised to remove the parts of the former bill that would have restricted local governments and health directors from swiftly responding to future outbreaks,” Brewer said in a statement after the vote.

H.B. 806 is currently sitting on Cooper’s desk awaiting his approval. Tom McInnis, Richmond County’s state senator, also voted in favor of H.B. 806.

In states where gyms have been allowed to reopen, Planet Fitness has put several preventative measures in place to try to curb the spread of COVID-19. Cleaning stations have been installed, a touchless check-in option has been added, and workout machines have been spaced out at those facilities.