A gym owner in Virginia, United States had the biggest nightmare of her life after she learned that one of the gym coaches exposed 50 athletes to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
Fortunately, not a single member ended up contracting the virus thanks to the extra safety precautions and ventilation measures she put in place, according to CNN.
Velvet Minnick, 44, owner of 460 Fitness in Blacksburg, Virginia, that she was forced to shut down the facility in March due to coronavirus.
When the state started to reopen in June, Minnick was allowed to have athletes back inside her facility.
Minnick consulted Linsey Marr, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Virginia Tech and joined 460 Fitness about two years ago.
Marr has an expertise in airborne transmission of viruses, air quality and nanotechnology.
“I knew the virus was transmitted mainly through the air so I thought it was really important to have good ventilation, so everyone wasn’t able to breathe it,” Marr told CNN.
Minnick created athlete stations near the bay doors.
“Ten feet of space has always been my mantra,” Marr said, which is more than the recommended six feet. Marr said this was because people in the gym would be working out and breathing heavily.
“I did the calculations on how big the space was, what the typical wind speeds were in the area and if the doors were open what would the resulting ventilation be?” Marr said.
However, Minnick learned that one of her coaches wasn’t feeling well, she wasn’t initially worried in September.
He later on tested positive for the virus.
Minnick, contacted all 50 athletes and checked in with them for a two-week period. A few people decided to get tested, but not one member developed symptoms.
Minnick said the gym remains diligent with its procedures and athletes continue to adjust.
Image by Александр Вальков from Pixabay
