By HNN Staff | July 22, 2020 at 1:55 PM HST – Updated July 22 at 1:56 PM
HONOLULU, Hawaii (HawaiiNewsNow) – Gov. David Ige has approved a request to mandate the wearing of face coverings while inside gyms on Oahu, even while members are working out, city officials said Wednesday.
Mask-wearing had previously been required indoors in public places, but exceptions were made available for anyone working out ― even though customers needed to wear the face coverings at all other times while inside the facility.
The amended order eliminates that exception, even for intense workouts.
“If you can’t do an exercise because it is too strenuous, then you don’t do the exercise,” Mayor Caldwell said. “If there’s something that you are having a hard time breathing, than that exercise should not be conducted in the gym.”
Caldwell says the motivation to amend the order came from what he called a ‘superspreader’ event in which a single infected individual who visited two separate workout facilities on Oahu is believed to have sickened 20 others while working out.
“Our goal is not to shut down again,” Mayor Caldwell said. “We’re hoping everyone complies and gyms can remain open.”
This story will be updated.
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