Boston November Project Cancels Workouts Because Of Coronavirus

BROOKLINE, MA — November Project organizers have canceled all workouts in the Boston and Brookline area and in more than 52 cities beyond. The free fitness movement regularly draws crowds in the hundreds every Friday morning on top of Summit Avenue in Coolidge Corner, at Harvard Stadium in Alston on Wednesdays and in various locations around the Greater Boston region Mondays.

"As an organization that thrives on community engagement, group fitness, and defying social norms, it pains us to have to postpone all in-person workouts until further notice, but it is our responsibility to protect the health of our members, leaders and family members globally," reads a statement posted to social media from organizers.

For Boston and Brookline participants it means the hills workout on Fridays- where people, walk and run up and down one of Brookline's steepest hills at 6:30 a.m. will be canceled for now. A social gathering set for Saturday is also canceled, Boston organizers announced.

Instead, Boston organizers are encouraging people to do workouts at home.

"Join our weekly workouts online that you can do from home that will be posted each Tuesday. Use #NP_Continues to keep us connected," a post on Facebook reads. "be smart about reducing the spread for the public safety and health of all!"

The announcement comes the same day the Boston Athletic Association announced it would be postponing the Boston Marathon. Each year November Project organizers host a workout in Cleveland Circle on Patriots Day before some head out to run or cheer on the marathon.

On March 10, the same day Boston canceled the St. Patrick's Day parade, Gov. Charlie Baker declared a state of emergency. Then, on March 11, the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic.

Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that include the common cold as well as much more serious diseases. The strain that emerged in China in late 2019, now called COVID-19, is related to others that have caused serious outbreaks in recent years, including severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the U.S. was on Jan. 21.

Patch reporter Jenna Fisher can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna).