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DENVER — With Colorado's mask mandate now in place, compliance may be up, but it still seems to be spotty within certain industries. Gyms are one of them.
Several Contact Denver7 viewers tell us there are gyms all over the Denver metro not enforcing the order.
Owner of HK High Kicks in Fort Collins, Erin Doty, says she's set to begin group classes again next month as a yoga instructor.
As of now, she says many of the gyms she teaches at will not be requiring masks.
"It's an ethical decision that I'm grappling with. I need the money. So, I have to put myself in harm's way to continue to experience livelihood during this climate," said Doty.
A Contact Denver7 viewer in Centennial saw a similar issue at VASA Fitness and called our newsroom about it.
"There are about 55 people in there right now at 2:50 in the afternoon, and nobody is wearing a mask, and management has told me that they will not enforce and refuse to enforce because it is not a law," said the concerned viewer.
VASA Fitness told Denver7, people are only required to wear one when moving between machines but not when working out.
Jackie Kucharski says she recently canceled her membership with Lifetime Fitness over lenient mask policies.
"On paper, everything is correct. They've emailed us; they've notified us--all the signage is correct, but when it comes down to enforcement, I believe they have either tried to reduce or even worse pass on their responsibility and liability on to members," said Kucharski.
In a statement, Lifetime Fitness says, "In our clubs, we are enforcing masks unless exercise is taking place and/or social distancing can be maintained -- this includes both inside and outside on our pool decks. With our vast spaces and multiple pieces of equipment, we're easily able to maintain this distancing. You're correct in that an email was sent to members, and signage is placed throughout the club. Suffice it to say, we recognize there are varying opinions on masks but our teams are walking the clubs and connecting with members to ensure they understand and adhere to this new order. As I hope you can appreciate, this is a whole new behavior for members and we may not catch every instance of non-compliance, however I can assure you our commitment is to fully enforce this mandate in clubs, when needed and best possible."
Some gyms are requiring masks at all times while working out indoors with a group of people, which is what the mandate dictates.
For gyms that don't, it puts customers and instructors in a position of balancing risk and reward.
The governor's mandate also means businesses that choose not to follow the mask rule can have their license to operate revoked.
