Why Is CA Checking Your Temperature?
With the combination of colder weather (and more people moving indoors), flu season and a rise in COVID-19 cases, CA is ready to pull out all of the stops. That includes the use of our contact-free thermometers and daily temperature checks at CA facilities. Starting Friday, November 20, we will now be taking the temperature of every person who walks through the doors of the following facilities:
- Columbia Athletic Club
- Columbia Gym
- Supreme Sports Club
- Columbia Swim Center
- Owen Brown Tennis Club
- Long Reach Tennis Club
- Columbia Ice Rink
Basically, if you are going inside and will be around other people for 15 minutes or longer at CA, you will be required to get your temperature checked.
What’s going to happen
It’s pretty simple, really. You scan your membership card. We’ll scan your forehead.
CA team members at the front desk will greet you like they always do. Masks will still be required, and we will continue handing out individual spray bottles for wiping down equipment. Before you leave the front desk, team members will use a contact-free thermometer to take your temperature. If it’s 100.4° or higher, you will not be allowed into the facility and will be asked to leave. There are protocols in place for members who have a legitimate reason for an elevated temperature (running or biking to the club).
For most members, this means sparing a few seconds for your own health and the health of everyone around you.
100.4° or more? Out the door!
The CDC defines having a fever as 100.4° or higher. Since fever is a symptom of COVID-19, 100.4° is our threshold for allowing anyone to enter a facility where they will be in contact with other individuals for more than 15 minutes. This rule has been in effect for all of our Sports & Fitness employees for months, and now, it’s an extra layer of protection for all of our members as well.
Adding a scan to the list
We know this year has been filled with change, and this is just another one to add to the list. We hope our members understand that we take these precautions because we care about their health. For some of you, part of that is coming into our facilities to ensure your body and mind are prepared to fight illness. We continue to implement every possible resource and utilize every possible tool to keep you safe.
Here are some of the other measures we have put in place to protect you during this time:
- Airius PureAir filters – You may have noticed these strange looking fixtures glowing with neon blue light. Those UV filters are working around the clock, killing germs in the air throughout our clubs.
- Air exchange – Fitness facilities are already built to circulate air better than other buildings, but our team has increased the system’s capacity to ensure fresh air is brought into our clubs more often.
- Electrostatic sprayers – These look like something out of the GhostBusters, but in this case, we ain’t afraid of no virus. Team members use the hospital-grade sprayers on surfaces around the clubs.
- Mask mandates – Starting Monday, November 23, masks or face coverings will be required at all times. Swimmers are allowed to remove their mask while in the pools.
- Individual spray bottles – Every member coming into our facilities receives their own spray bottle and rag to wipe down equipment before and after use, limiting the amount of shared bottles around the club. Any used spray bottles are sanitized before another member uses them.
- Physical distancing – CA continues to block off certain equipment on the gym floors to promote safe distancing. There are also reminders posted throughout our clubs reminding everyone to stay 6 feet apart at all times.
Rest assured that CA is doing everything we can to keep our resources accessible, clean and safe. Hope to scan… I mean, see you soon.
