A Langford gym has been ordered to close for 10 days after at least three of its staff or patrons tested positive for COVID-19.
Posting to social media Sunday night, Club Phoenix Fitness said it had been issued a closure order by the province and would be shutting its doors from April 19 to 29.
It’s the first Island business to be affected by the provincial workplace closure order that was introduced on April 11. In the order, WorkSafeBC inspectors can close a workplace if three or more staff or patrons test positive for COVID-19 and a spread of the virus at the site is likely.
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On Monday, Public Health confirmed with the gym that the COVID-19 exposure occurred during the afternoon of April 12. It has initiated contact tracing and will be notifying anyone who is at a high risk of having been exposed.
Public Health suggests that anyone who was present at the gym that day self-monitor for symptoms and reduce their social contacts as much as possible for 14 days. Symptoms include fever, chills, cough, shortness of breath, sore throat, runny nose, the loss of sense of smell or appetite, muscle aches, fatigue and headaches, diarrhea, and nausea or vomiting. After seven days, Public Health suggests people schedule a COVID-19 test, even if they haven’t displayed any symptoms.
Anyone who displays symptoms should self-isolate immediately and call Island Health to schedule a test.
Gyms and recreation facilities are currently closed for group exercise but are allowed to remain open for individual workouts and personal training sessions. Club Phoenix Fitness owner, Geoff Dawson, said the gym had just been assessed and passed an inspection by an environmental health officer on Thursday.
“They found all the precautions were in place, which was great and gave us some reassurance,” Dawson said. So, being issued a closure Sunday night came as a surprise.
Workplaces closed by the order must remain closed for a minimum of 10 days to break the cycle of transmission. If Public Health cannot gather sufficient information to determine the transmission risk during those 10 days, the closure may be extended longer.
Dawson said he just hopes there is no negative sentiment in the community around them having to close.
“It’s (COVID-19) everywhere,” he said. “We can only do our best to protect everyone from it.”
READ ALSO: B.C. won’t be using random individual road stops to enforce travel rules: Safety Minister
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