College gym still open, available by appointment
OCCC’s Wellness Center in the department for Recreation and Fitness remains open for use to all students, faculty and staff.
The restrictions placed on the center due to COVID will continue for the foreseeable future, according to Coordinator Recreation and Fitness Laura Swain.
The Center is open 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. Monday to Friday by reservation only. Appointments can be made by calling 405-682-1611 Ext. 7310, 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. Monday to Friday There are no online reservations.
According to the Recreation and Fitness section of the OCCC website, reservations are set up in one-hour increments for access to one of three areas in the Center.
The areas are cardio and selectorized machines, free weights, and the basketball courts.
Participants cannot stack reservations back-to-back to extend their time in one specific area, Swain said.
“If the area is empty and no one is waiting students may continue their workout,” Swain said. “We ask that the students only make a reservation for one hour.”
Reservations will be canceled if the participant does not show after 10 minutes of the appointment.
The current guidelines listed on the website require that participants wear a mask at all times, wash their hands and disinfect the equipment before and after each use.
The maximum occupancy for the basketball courts is limited to one person at a time.
There are no fitness classes currently being held at the Center, Swain said. Due to safety precautions, students are urged to bring their own water bottles.
Swain said the bottles may be refilled using an automatic water fountain in the center.
Locker rooms are disinfected hourly and have stickers to assist with social distancing.
The website urges participants to bring their own towels, though the center’s are available if needed.
To ensure the center is clean and safe, every other piece of equipment is closed and there is a “Disinfecting Break” at the top of every hour for 15 minutes so the staff can fog the area.
“The Wellness Center attendants might ask the student to move to the next room (weight room or cardio area) [so the attendants may] fog,” Swain said.
During each break, major sections of the center will be disinfected one at a time, according to the website.
While one area is being fogged, the others will remain open. “If you feel like someone isn’t following the guidelines you may report them to the Wellness Center attendant,” Swain said.
Details of the restrictions can be found at https://www.occc.edu/rf/