Are they recommendations or regulations? Hamilton councillors confused about COVID-19 guidelines for gyms

Hamilton city councillors say they're at turns frustrated and confused with public health's latest COVID-19 guidelines for local gym operators.

Those are recommendations, but not regulations, the city's chief medical officer, Dr. Elizabeth Richardson, told elected officials Wednesday.

However, they're designed to prevent the spread of the virus during high-intensity workouts held in smaller indoor settings as the city awaits revised provincial regulations, she said.

We all ultimately have to take personal responsibility for how we're going to operate our businesses and how we're going to do it best."

Hamilton's recommendations include three metres of physical distancing between gym patrons while they work out. They should also wear masks while exercising.

The extra precautions also suggest a cap of 10 people, including the instructor, during indoor fitness classes.

The advice for local operators follows an outbreak at SpinCo Hamilton on James Street North that started late last month, continued into October and was linked to 85 cases.

Richardson was responding to councillors' queries Wednesday about whether the local guidelines were enforceable regulations or just recommendations.

I get the SpinCo thing and what happened," Coun. Tom Jackson said, noting he'd heard from two fitness club operators in his east Mountain ward complaining about the added local regulations."

Likewise, Coun. Lloyd Ferguson noted he'd visited a gym operator in Ancaster who'd said it was not easy" for patrons to wear masks during workouts. Which I thought was a regulation, too."

In the east end, Coun. Sam Merulla said he'd been very firm" with operators who complained about the apparent new regulations. I implied it because I actually thought it was."

In an Oct. 19 news release, in fact, public health announced it was requiring" Hamilton fitness facilities to follow the additional measures," including the three-metre workout distance and mask-wearing.

But during Wednesday's council meeting, Richardson clarified more than once that those added precautions for high-intensity workouts weren't regulations, but only recommendations.

Merulla said the varied messaging has put him in a really awkward situation" and lamented the leeway gym operators would have without enforceable rules to follow. This doesn't bode well for gym operators hoping to stay open, he said, predicting they'd tell their patrons mask-wearing isn't required.

We're actually trying to help them help themselves, because in Toronto, the gyms are now closed, so we're giving them an opportunity now to wear the masks, so they can actually continue to operate," Merulla said.

Coun. Brad Clark asked why the city couldn't impose its own regulations as it waits for the provincial revisions given the risk of transmission.

I understand the political desire to make recommendations, but at the end of the day, it shouldn't be a political decision," the Stoney Creek councillor said.

Richardson said regulatory changes demand a full evidence review," which the city doesn't have the staff to do."

Moreover, the province is conducting that very work under a full legislative framework," she added. Richardson said she didn't know when that review would wrap up.

Richardson said the local recommendations are meant for smaller high-intensity" indoor settings, but not larger venues, such as kids playing hockey in a rink or an aquatics class in a big swimming pool.

Teviah Moro is a Hamilton-based reporter at The Spectator. Reach him via email: tmoro@thespec.com