News

On Tuesday, the Governor of Washington unveiled a new phased plan to reopen our state. In the current phasing structure - Dūrātus is able to open on Monday January 11th! Now, there are a few things you will need to know as we step back into the gym.

1. Given the new capacity restrictions, we will be able operate in a very similar way to how we were operating previous to the November 15th shutdown. Throughout the summer, we willingly choose to further limit our class capacity below the 25% threshold in an effort to #flattenthecurve and do our part. Turns out, this was a fortuitous decision, as our current reopening will not be a significant disruption to the rhythm we had established throughout the summer and fall. I am in conversations with the Governors' office, helping to inform their new capacity limits. We do not final clarity as to how many people can be in each class. I am hopeful our class registration page will go live sometime Friday afternoon or Saturday morning, assuming we have our answer by then. I do know we will start with limited availability (similar to how we operated this summer), with the anticipation of adding more spots as we move into phase 2 and show stability with the covid metrics.

2. Another directive of the new restrictions is mandatory "appointments" or "registrations" for all participants. This was one of the features the Stronger Together Coalition detailed as a strength in our industry. With class registrations we have the unique ability to contact trace in real time. We believe this is one of the reasons gyms/fitness facilities were able to reopen. We will use the same class registration process we have throughout the summer. Let me remind you, we have more people that want to come to classes than available class spots on any given day. If you look at the total classes we offer over the week and our current membership, then each person should be able to get 3-5 classes per week. Obviously, the number of classes is somewhat dependent upon individuals' flexibility. I know the system is not perfect, but if you graciously remember everyone should have equal access to classes when you sign up and you make sure you cancel well in advance if you have to, then I think we will be able to make it work.

3. Masks and cleaning. You all did so well with this during the summer...again, thanks for your effort in this way! The new restrictions are not detailed with these types of operational procedures, but in my conversations with the Governor's office in the last 24 hours, I have been instructed to add the new capacity limitations with the same protocols in place that we had during summer/fall. So again, not much will change here from our regular rhythm. However, I am convinced our advancement through this new phased approach will be significantly faster if we do everything possible to slow the spread of Covid (duh). That being said, we are advising members to wear masks as much as possible throughout your time in the gym. This means keeping your mask on while waiting in your square for class to start, during the warm up, when leaving your square for the bathroom or to grab weights, even while moving through the strength portion. During bike sprints or BMUs - totally up to you and if you feel safe doing so. This is one of the realities of being able to open in this time.

4. Memberships. In November, we worked with any and all that needed to make membership changes. We have tried to keep solid records on every change made (thanks to Moriah for a Herculean effort in this way), but we have never claimed to be perfect. Have patience as we move everything back once again. All memberships (unless you have already communicated with us) will revert back to your normal contract as of January 15th. If you have questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out.

5. Equipment. A separate email will go out to those who have borrowed equipment detailing the return procedure for this weekend. We anticipate most everything returned by the end of day Sunday, so we will be ready for classes Monday AM.


Finally, this last mandated shutdown was certainly rough on all of us for differing reasons; sickness, death, loss of income, isolation, inconvenience, crappy holidays, boredom to name a few. None of us are unscathed at this point. Additionally, as I write this, our national capitol building has been stormed by citizens. To say we are in the midst of a strange and heartbreaking time might be the greatest understatement of 2021. Regardless of your political leaning or beliefs about covid and how our city/state/country has been handling things, I believe we have a mandate to be kind and good people. Fitness has always been a vehicle for holistic betterment - physical, mental, emotional and relational. In 7 years of owning and operating Dūrātus - I have seen so much kindness and goodness and generosity from the community and even though we are a small slice of people in an often forgotten corner of the country, let us be a people that seeks betterment in ourselves and our community.

I look forward to seeing you all very soon and working together to be better in all ways!

Kevin and the Dūrātus Staff.