LEOMINSTER – Jane Morgan admits she was nervous to go back to the gym to work out.

As a longtime member of the YMCA, Morgan went from working out at the Leominster Community Branch seven days a week to exercising at home after the COVID-19 pandemic hit and the gym closed its doors last year in mid-March.

“I was working out from home to some YouTube videos,” she said. “It was not as much fun as seeing everyone at the gym. When they finally were ready to reopen with new measures to keep the members safe, I was not ready to return feeling I didn’t want to put myself at risk.”

Nearly one year into the pandemic and just as long doing home workouts, Morgan decided to venture back into the gym and was pleased with what she found. Now she visits the gym four times a week and feels secure going there because of the litany of protocols and regulations in place.

“It made me feel really comfortable to find a no-touch temperature screening upon entry, to have 6-foot dividers between machines and bikes, face masks are mandatory, the water fountains are only for filling one’s water bottle, and the staff must spray down each piece of equipment after each member uses it,” she said. “I feel very safe here because of all of the protocols in place.”

Morgan and her husband have been YMCA members for over 20 years. They switched their membership from the Worcester Central Community Branch to the Leominster location about four years ago when they moved to Sterling.

“Early March this year I renewed my YMCA membership and returned to the Leominster Y where I was delighted to witness all the safety measures in place,” she said. “I feel very safe there and it is so wonderful to see and socialize with, at a distance, so many friends I haven’t seen for a year.”

Ted McDonnell has been the North County YMCA Branch Director for two years and 16 years total with YMCA. While the Leominster branch reopened in the beginning of July last year, the Montachusett Community Branch in Fitchburg remained open throughout the pandemic for emergency child care, but the wellness, aquatics and other programs were closed for the same time period as Leominster.

“Reopening went great, so much positive feedback,” McDonnell said. “The biggest challenge remains getting the word out that we are open with many new COVID-related protocols and it is a clean, safe and organized place to come.”

The list of safety protocols and regulations in place is impressive — contactless facial recognition when being screened for temperature that gives a warning if you are not wearing a mask, health screening and travel questions from staff, one-way directional arrows on the gym floor, masks always required, high plastic barriers between the spaced-out machines, and locker rooms restricted to two people at a time.

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