Should I teach my cardio dance class?

June 22, 2020 4:51 PM

My YMCA has reopened, and is starting to offer cardio classes for a "limited number" of participants. My previous class mostly included people 45-70 years old, and usually had about 22 participants. I feel emotionally that the Y is making poor decisions offering cardio classes in enclosed spaces without masks, but I'm not sure what the scientific evidence is. Instructions who have chosen not to start their classes because of Covid worries have been told they would be terminated. Am I being too cautious? Or is the Y losing the narrative?
posted by Malla to Health & Fitness (12 answers total)

There's been some actual research in this area with data from South Korea: Cluster of Coronavirus Disease Associated with Fitness Dance Classes.
posted by purpleclover at 4:59 PM on June 22, 2020 [21 favorites]

I don't think you are being emotional at all and that your concerns are supported by science. It is way too soon to be in a room with others unmasked, even if they weren't exercising.
posted by soelo at 5:04 PM on June 22, 2020 [21 favorites]

Seems like an incredibly dumb idea to have people in high risk groups breathing heavily in a closed area without masks. There is NO evidence indicating that this is safe, and seems like the Y at the very least is morally liable for what will come, if not legally negligent.

I am shocked they would threaten to fire you. I used to work at a Y, and that Y was a paragon of moral decision making, more so than any other organization I have ever worked for. I would let them fire you, or if you are intent on keeping the job have a conversation with the Director and show them supporting information. I will be amazed if the director chooses to move forward if they are fully informed. I don't think you can in good conscience lead a fitness class that you know is endangering peoples lives any more than you can drink and drive.

I am floored by their willful ignorance.
posted by jcworth at 5:04 PM on June 22, 2020 [19 favorites]

shockingly terrible idea. Show them the study cited above and try to get them to make it an outside class?

Good lord, you'd think the liability alone would make them reconsider, even if human decency won't.
posted by fingersandtoes at 5:15 PM on June 22, 2020 [7 favorites]

You're not alone. I just quit my gym because of how they're running their reopening.
posted by BlahLaLa at 6:58 PM on June 22, 2020 [3 favorites]

You're definitely not alone. Arnold Schwarzenegger left Gold's Gym when he realized they were not requiring masks.
posted by ActingTheGoat at 7:10 PM on June 22, 2020 [13 favorites]

Another vote that you’re being reasonable. The exhaling is just too dangerous. And I’m generally on the not-cautious-enough side. The only way I’d even consider it is if you held the class outdoors, limited it to a max of six people, made them wear masks, and kept everyone at least ten feet apart. Even then that’s 50-50 for me.
posted by kevinbelt at 7:16 PM on June 22, 2020 [5 favorites]

Keep in mind that your potential attendees have the same information as you, and the ones most concerned about the pandemic are probably not going to show up either. Which means the people who would show up are the ones less likely to be taking precautions, both in and out of class.

Organizationally, they're probably getting pressure from above, if the local governments have deemed it safe; from themselves, who want to do what the YMCA does; and from attendees, who want to go to class regardless of risk.
posted by meowzilla at 9:24 PM on June 22, 2020 [2 favorites]

This is a terrible idea. I fear you'll lose your job anyway if they're not going to try to accommodate spacing people out at the least, though. They probably shouldn't be doing IRL cardio classes now.
posted by jenfullmoon at 9:34 PM on June 22, 2020 [2 favorites]

I found Terry Gross's recent interview with Dr. Osterholm of the Center for Infection Disease Research and Policy to be really accessible. The biggest risk is the "air that we share" and the risk is greatest when talking, singing, or exerting yourself. It's not just one breath that matters, but breathing over time, especially in a space where the air isn't moving. All of that is made worse by a fitness class.
posted by mcgsa at 7:04 AM on June 23, 2020 [3 favorites]

Just because a public health authority says it’s a good idea doesn’t mean it’s actually a good idea. The recommendations these organizations release are informed by perceived or actual political considerations. Businesses have these concerns as well as profit-motive, and as we’re seeing here, are motivated to get revenue coming in, regardless of the health impact. I think it’s Upton Sinclair who wrote something along the lines of “It is difficult to make a [person] understand a thing when [their] paycheck depends on not understanding it.”
posted by Alterscape at 11:55 AM on June 23, 2020 [1 favorite]

I'm another Y member who's shocked by instructors being threatened. My Y isn't even open to members yet. Is there a way to get this information out to the community, to see if members can get the policy changed? If your Y is like mine, members are paying far more than at a regular gym and part of that is because we get to feel good about supporting a non-profit with high values.
posted by The corpse in the library at 3:44 PM on June 23, 2020