May 15, 2020

Well here we are, another week has gone by but this time - we have news!  Good News!

The Public Health Order that has kept us closed has been lifted as of May 19th.   We are very happy to be able to pass on this news to you but we hope that you can bear with us a little while longer as we ensure we meet the guidelines that have only just been presented to us.  We expect to be open on or before June 1st!   We have a lot of information for you, so give yourself a bit of time to go through this email.  

In the meantime, while we work to implement all of the controls that have been asked of us, we’d like to share with you our new Health and Safety Protocols at Forge. These protocols follow the Island Health guidelines and will be updated as Island Health and WorkSafe update their guidelines while COVID-19 progresses over the next 1-2 years. We are also taking into consideration the uniqueness of the space and equipment at Forge to help keep everyone safe:

1. New Online Station Booking System to book your training station.   This is one of the biggest changes you’ll see due to COVID-19.  From your member portal you can now book your training station up to 48 hours in advance or as little as 5 minutes before you come to the gym.   You can book up to 90min per day and these can be on all one station or split between 3 stations at 30 minutes each.  Stations are 2mx2m plus buffer zones and dumbbells, benches, kettlebells, bikes and rowers, etc can all be brought to your station if you need them.   You’ll also be able to select your station based on the focus of your workout (ie.  powerlifting, Olympic lifting, crossfitting, rings, wallballs, etc).   The stations won’t be limited to those uses but you’ll have a good idea of what you can do at each station.  You’ll never have to wonder if you’ll be able to get a squat rack or pull-up bar again.   Just book your station, check-in and you’re good to go!         

This system has been put in place to enable physical distancing as well as follow occupancy limits for the facility and ensure equal access to all members to the facility.  Please do ensure that you book your station as there may not be any left for you otherwise.  The great part is that with a little planning ahead everyone will be able to use the equipment they want, when they want!    We do ask that you strictly adhere to the time limits on your stations and thank you ahead of time for doing so.  

2. All Fitness Representatives and Trainers will be wearing non-medical masks at all times while working at Forge.

3. Physical barriers between facing stations to ensure our members are never working out face to face.  Physical barriers have also been installed at the front desk and between the sinks in the changerooms.

4. Hand Sanitizer will be available at the front desk at check in - please make use of it upon entry.   (You will also be asked a series of questions upon arrival to determine if you are at additional risk of carrying COVID-19.   If you answer yes to any of these questions, you will be denied entry.   These questions will also be provided to you via a booking reminder email.)

5. You will receive a Check-In basket when you arrive at Forge.   Inside that basket will be hand sanitizer, equipment sanitizer, and paper towels.   These items are for your personal use while you are at Forge and you will need to ensure that all surfaces are cleaned (mobility rollers, bars, handles, wallballs, mats etc) before and after use, before you return them to their designated home.   Please make frequent use of the hand sanitizer provided.  Both our hand sanitizer and our equipment sanitizer have been reviewed as effective against COVID-19 by both Health Canada and the EPA (DIN are available upon request.  For those sensitive to our regular cleaner, we will have a milder option available which is still effective). Our Staff will sanitize the buckets and contents between members.   Items such as pull-up bands, etc will be washed in soapy water by our staff between uses.   

We ask that whenever it isn’t possible for you to maintain 2m between yourself and other members or staff (eg. in the changerooms, when you leave your station to grab dumbbells or cardio equipment for your station, etc) that you wear a mask if possible to protect the members of our community and our staff.   We very much encourage you to bring your own!

6. Contactless payment methods will be encouraged!   We will be increasing our tap limit on our POS machine to avoid use of the keypad.  

7. All common touch points such as door handles, bathroom fixtures, water bottle filler etc will be cleaned every 3 hours by our staff.    Hand sanitizer will also be available at the water bottle filler and we ask that you use the hand sanitizer before filling your bottle as well as being careful not to touch your bottle edge to the tap.  Bringing a full bottle with you is even better.  

8. “Traffic Patterns” will be established using arrows where appropriate to enable physical distancing and there will be one stairway to go down, and one stairway to go up.

Phase 1:

• Soft Re-Opening June 1st (or sooner, condition dependent) - there is absolutely no rush for you to return to Forge until YOU are ready.  Just because we're open doesn't mean you have to be there.   

• No In-Person Strength and Conditioning Classes for 2-4 weeks (virtual classes will still be offered) 

• No new members for 2 weeks(Existing Members only!)

• Limited in-person boxing/kickboxing classes

• No locker access (you can still access and change in the changeroom, just take your stuff with you to your station)

• No shower access for the initial opening.  

• Some equipment will not be accessible for use (dual cable machines, sled, mobility equipment that is difficult to fully sanitize, etc) due to the inability to maintain 2m distance while in use.  

Phase 2 (2-4 weeks after phase 1):

• Limited re-launch of some upstairs in-person Classes 

• Allow new members to sign up

• Launch of full Virtual/Online programming and classes

• Increase in boxing/kickboxing classes

• Resume shower access

• Possible trial for preferential access times for those who are more vulnerable to COVID-19

Phase 3 (2-4 weeks after phase 2):

• Move into full (new Normal) class schedules for Strength and Conditioning, and Boxing/Kickboxing (virtual and in-person)

• Resume access to lockers - this will very likely be on a rental basis, to eliminate as many common touchpoints as possible.

• Possibly resume access to restricted equipment

We know this is a lot to digest but we hope you’ve made it this far!   We very much look forward to being able to welcome you back and to help us make sure that we’ve addressed all of your concerns and adjust as needed, we’d like to ask you one last thing:  to fill out our quick survey (5 questions)!    To complete the survey, click here  (or visit https://forms.gle/qmwKpjreqPs9ZvBt6)

We’ve included a few screenshots below to give you an idea of what the new booking system looks like and will post a gym “map” in the next few days.  As always, we welcome any questions, concerns or feedback (info@forgevictoria.com) you may have.   We’ll also provide further updates in the coming days as our preparations progress. 

Stay Safe, Stay Healthy and See you soon!

Tina, Hal and Locky

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