On Facebook today, I saw this post from a pilates gym owner from Oregon.

This just came across my desk. I'm not sure how public this is supposed to be, so I'll refrain from posting the names of the 5 Representatives and 2 Senators that signed it, names are bi-partisan, split about half and half between the parties! This is a huge development that hopefully will pay off. This talks about the "science" behind fitness closures and this group of legislators is saying, hah, try again!

Dear Governor Brown, Thank you for your continued efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19. Like you, we want to ensure our constituents are safe and healthy. Part of being healthy and promoting wellness is being active. We are concerned about the closure of health and fitness facilities in the extreme risk category and about the occupancy limitations on these facilities in the high-risk category. We urge you to consider modifications to your order to allow for a limited opening of these facilities based on a percentage of occupancy even in facilities located in the extreme risk category.

That first sentence is just being polite, because there is certainly nothing to thank her for.

This year has been deeply challenging for all of us and we echo your concerns about the current surge of COVID-19 cases in Oregon. While we stand with you in recognizing the need to take precautions to slow the spread of the virus, we have also seen – and heard directly from our constituents – that the physical and emotional toll of prohibiting access to fitness facilities and gyms will have lasting impacts on their long-term health. We know there are Oregonians who utilize fitness facilities to manage their chronic diseases, PTSD, and social and emotional health during challenging times. We also know that as the weather changes and we are forced inside, outdoor exercise becomes hazardous for many, especially elderly Oregonians or those with already compromised mobility.

Both the Senate and House Healthcare Committees heard from Director Allen and raised concerns about this issue during legislative days. Director Allen provided a response by letter addressing some of the questions raised concerning the evidence of COVID outbreaks at gyms and fitness facilities in Oregon. We appreciate his response, but the information provided did not convince us that the closure of this entire industry is warranted. Not only do Oregonians rely on these facilities for their physical and mental wellness, but these facilities also employ many Oregonians and are at risk of permanent closure if this prolonged closure continues. If a strong case could be made about transmission at these facilities, the closure would be understandable, but there appears to be little evidence these facilities have been the source of COVID-19 transmission. Currently, only four states including Oregon have required health and fitness facilities to close, and many officials in other states have changed their position and allowed gyms to reopen due to evidence showing a lack transmission of the virus in gyms. If you have it, please furnish data, analysis or reports that demonstrate that fitness facilities are causing outbreaks and spread cannot be mitigated.

In his letter, Director Allen provided a list of “examples of outbreaks of COVID-19 at gyms and fitness centers”. The list included places we would classify as “indoor recreation” including a dance studio and a trampoline center and not traditional gyms, but even so, only 96 cases were identified as being tied to any of these facilities, including an outbreak at a location violating orders by not requiring masks. This means all COVID-19 cases tied to health and fitness facilities represent .09% of all COVID-19 cases in Oregon. From this perspective we should be touting this industry as a success story instead of closing it. The case count Director Allen provided aligned with other states reporting similar data on transmission and shows that concerns about transmission at gyms has been mitigated. We should not prohibit Oregonians from accessing these facilities that are vital to their health and wellness given the evidence that transmission is not happening at these locations.

Considering the many other times Pat Allen has provided weak or zero evidence, this is not surprising.

Additionally, Director Allen restated a claim that has been made that “perspiration can dampen a face mask, which may decrease the effectiveness of the mask in preventing the spread of the virus causing COVID-19”. We recently learned about a study that actually suggests quite the opposite. The American Institute of Physics recently analyzed the “Physics of Fluid” and whether face masks can offer protection from airborne sneeze and cough droplets in close-up, face-to-face human interactions. The full study, https://aip.scitation.org/doi/pdf/10.1063/5.0035072 included this information: “The cloth PM 2.5 mask wetted with water has exhibited a better performance in blocking the airborne droplets than all the other masks tested (except for the N-95 mask), including the surgical mask. If a mask is wetted, the material’s fibers will swell, reducing the pore size available for the droplets to penetrate through the mask. The wet mask might have to be disposed or occasionally washed to replenish with freshwater to address the virus saturation and water evaporation concerns. The wet mask approach could prove useful in medical environments where it could be disposed of after each interaction with the virus carrier.”

Further, the study actually recommends using a wet mask for increased protection:

“If close-up contact cannot be avoided, such as in frontline worker activities, some ideas could be: using wet masks or turning the face away from the sneeze or cough or both. Such additional measures could at least lower the risk to some extent by avoiding a direct frontal exposure to the droplets and possibly providing a longer time for the diffusion/dilution of the airborne droplets to occur. Some medical experts and prior research also suggest the second option (e.g., Refs. 28 and 29). Furthermore, depending on breathing comfort, wearing multiple layers of masks could offer increased protection (e.g., Ref. 1).”

We understand that the Oregon Health & Fitness Alliance, representing Oregon’s more than 450 health and fitness facilities, has provided a reasonable and measured proposal for additional restrictions that could be required at these facilities in order to allow them to safely reopen even in extreme risk counties. On behalf of our constituents and all Oregonians who have experienced negative physical and emotional health impacts of COVID-19, we urge you to consider this proposal and allow for an immediate, limited reopening of gyms and fitness centers throughout all Oregon counties, including those currently in the extreme risk category with the increased restrictions proposed by OHFA.

Many of us have visited or utilized services at health and fitness facilities since March and have seen firsthand the extreme precautions they have implemented, including mask mandates, increased ventilation and air filtering, social distancing, and increased sanitization requirements. These precautions are working. They were allowing Oregonians to access the vital wellness services they need to ensure their physical and mental health, while also ensuring every precaution is taken to prevent transmission of COVID-19.

Health and fitness facilities and gyms are not the problem in this pandemic. But they can be a part of the solution when it comes to maintaining mental and physical health during one of the most challenging periods any of us will ever experience. It is vital that we allow gyms and fitness facilities to immediately reopen on a limited basis in all counties throughout Oregon.

We look forward to a prompt and thorough response to our questions identified above.

The only downside to this is that the group is actually advocating the use of masks when exercising, in spite of the fact that in the real world - not a lab - the benefit they provide is negligible at best, and wearing them has been demonstrated to cause a noticeable oxygen shortage for the wearer during exercise.

Considering Kate's history of non-transparency, we'll see if she or Pat Allen actually provide answers.