How Fresno County gym GB3 is preparing to reopen in Phase 3

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- As government leaders continue to grapple with the impact COVID-19 has had on our economy, preparations are underway at a number of Central Valley gyms and clubs as they look for ways to reopen their operations.

"The uncertainty is uneasy but we're ready to open up whenever we get the OK," says GB3 general manager Sean Clinton.

Gyms and clubs are not expected to get the 'OK' to open until California enters the governor's so-called 'Phase 3' of reopening.

The exact timing of when that'll be and the sort of guidelines they must follow is still anyone's guess.

Until then, the staff at GB3 has been busy moving and rearranging fitness equipment to allow for social distancing while installing a number of new sanitation stations.

"We'll have everything spaced out to where exactly the limitations are, as far the guidelines with six feet so forth. So when everyone sits down to work out they don't have to worry about spacing. Everything is positioned to where you're working out you're in the exact spot you need to be in," says Clinton.

Clinton believes what we've all learned over the last ten weeks will actually help keep members healthy when gyms do open again.

"We've been trained for the last three months to be nothing but clean. And to be six feet apart everywhere you go, so when you come into the gym we have so much space here, we're as big as a grocery store."

GB3 has five locations across the Fresno-Clovis area, with a staff of about 500.

Management won't say how much money the popular gym has lost since the outbreak forced the business to shutter back in mid-March.

But when GB3 stopped collecting membership fees, it also forced most employees to be laid off.

For more news coverage on the coronavirus and COVID-19 go to ABC30.com/coronavirus