Officials with Planet Fitness announced Monday that the chain of gyms will require members and guests to wear masks at all its 1,450 locations worldwide beginning Saturday.
The company previously required only employees to wear masks at its fitness centers.
“As we continue to face the COVID-19 pandemic, amid an ongoing global health crisis, wellness has never been as essential to our collective community as it is today,” Planet Fitness CEO Chris Rondeau said in a statement.
“Gyms are part of the solution and a key element of the healthcare delivery system, providing much needed access for people to exercise and stay healthy. Given our leadership position within the industry, we believe it’s our responsibility to further protect our members, employees, and communities so that we can all safely focus on our health, which is more important now than ever before.”
The measure is the latest taken by Planet Fitness to protect employees and customers amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The company has also implemented physical distancing policies and enhanced its cleanliness and sanitation procedures, according to officials.
The chain joins a growing list of businesses requiring that customers take precautions to curb the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. Other businesses that have required face masks for customers include Chipotle, McDonald's, Walmart, United Airlines, Home Depot, Lowes and several others.
The United States leads the world with the most coronavirus cases and the highest death toll. Since the start of the pandemic, officials have confirmed more than 4.2 million infections and reported more than 146,000 deaths nationwide, according to numbers compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
As of Monday afternoon, more than 16.2 million COVID-19 cases have been reported worldwide and more than 649,000 people have died of the viral infection, according to Johns Hopkins.
Cox Media Group
