Gyms Will Be Inspected Virtually For NYC Reopening, Mayor Says

NEW YORK CITY — City health officials will conduct “virtual inspections” to make sure gyms reopening Wednesday pumped up their coronavirus safety measures, a report says.

Passing the video call inspection will give gyms the go-ahead to reopen for the first time since March, the New York Daily News first reported.

Gym owners breathed a sigh of relief when Gov. Andrew Cuomo recently announced they could reopen under if they mandated mask wearing at all times, set 33 percent capacity limits and passed health inspections.

But Mayor Bill de Blasio cast doubt on the whether the reopenings could happen in the city under the state’s requirements. The city’s health inspectors would be too busy making sure schools could reopen, he said.

De Blasio on Monday said the virtual inspections will lighten the load, especially as the Wednesday reopening date looms and schools prepare to reopen by Sept. 10.

“We’ll then do ongoing in-person inspection as those inspectors’ time free up after school and child care gets going,” he said.

The Daily News reported the inspections will be a video call between health officials and a gym’s operator, who will show a posted safety plan, the location’s face coverings, social distancing markers, cleaning log, soap and paper towel supplies and health screening records, according to the report.

Indoor fitness classes remain off limits, the report states.

Read the New York Daily News report here.