Q: I understand the gyms are only open to active-duty military at this time. With the on base working personnel level below 20%, would it be possible to open it up to civilians also? Several of us like to work out for lunch and cannot at this time. As we make up a large part of the workforce of Wright Patterson AFB, I feel it’s vitality important for us to stay in good physical shape to continue to perform our roles here at Wright Patterson. Thanks You
A: Thank you for your inquiry. Due to the current pandemic, our base Public Health office provided strict guidelines for the use of installation fitness centers as we begin to reopen services to our base population. Social distancing in the cardio and resistance training areas require 12 feet of separation, which limits the number of personnel in each of our fitness centers. The fitness centers are limited at any given time to a maximum capacity of 60 patrons at Wright Field Fitness Center and 40 patrons at Jarvis Fitness Center due to the layouts and square footage in each facility. These limits have been reached multiple times since our reopening.
Additionally, the Fitness Centers are closed from 9 to 10 a.m. and 2 to 3 p.m. for deep cleaning to ensure the health and safety of all who are in these facilities, which further decreases the available hours to work out. Fitness centers, as a whole, are based on the military population of an installation to serve a readiness purpose for our military personnel, which is why we have made access for military personnel a priority during our Phase 1 re-opening.
Additionally, Military Fitness Assessments are currently scheduled to resume on Oct. 1, so opening the fitness centers to military personnel was vital to allow them a place to continue their workouts in order to maintain readiness. We appreciate your understanding and patience; and we look forward to the time when we can open more space in our facilities, which will allow for the return of our entire workforce.
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