The CDC reported that in August 2020, over 55 people became infected with COVID-19 after attending exercise classes at a Chicago Gym. Less than a quarter of gym-goers wore masks during their workouts, and almost none socially distanced. The gym had precautions like temperature checks, but some people went to class with symptoms anyway.
The outbreak was linked to several high-intensity interval training (HIIT) classes held indoors. More than half of all the people who attended classes became infected.
The report recommends that people shouldn’t just rely on social distancing or symptom screening to prevent outbreaks indoors – mask wearing is still key. Masks were required to enter the gym but they were not required during workouts. Only one in four people said they wore masks consistently during workouts.
Twenty two people who attended the workouts had symptoms the same day they went to work out, including fever, cough, headaches, and loss of smell and taste. Three people went to class who tested positive for COVID-19 that day or before. While no one died as a result of the outbreak, two people later went to the ER for treatment, and one person had to be hospitalized for over a week.