Legally reopen your fitness studio! Don’t get blamed for COVID-19 cases in your reopened studio.
Before reopening your fitness studio you MUST listen to this episode of The GSD Show. I sat down, via Zoom, with legal expert Cory Sterling.
Cory breaks down the 3 Golden Rules for reopening legally and how to deal with employees who aren’t comfortable with coming back to work.
Legally Reopen: Golden Rule #1
When reopening your fitness studio after COVID-19, the first thing you MUST do is to ensure you’re compliant with state and municipal laws and regulations about reopening.
If someone does or claims to have contracted COVID-19 on your premises, the first thing any lawyer is going to investigate is whether or not you were following the rules.
Negligence or “I didn’t know” won’t get you out of trouble, it’ll get you into it. So, know the rules, know the regulations, know the law inside and out. Otherwise, it could damage your business far more than the initial outbreak of this pandemic ever did.
Golden Rule #2
Post these rules and laws inside your fitness studio to show that you take them seriously and to make sure your team is on the same page too.
Even though it would be very difficult for someone to prove that they contracted COVID-19 at your studio, you’re protected by following the law and having the proper waivers in place.
Speaking of waivers, that brings us to Legally Reopen Golden Rule #3
Golden Rule #3
Now is a great time to update all of your waivers to include COVID-19. Explain openly the typical risks of the activities at your studio as well as the risk of Coronavirus.
Also include a clause that addresses, to the best of their knowledge, that they’re participating in your studio healthily and not a carrier of the Coronavirus.
You’ll also want new contracts for your employees as well. This might be a difficult conversation with some, but Cory Sterling teaches you how to handle it in this episode of The GSD Show.
Getting the wording of all legal documents, waivers, and criteria exactly right is critical. Be sure to consult legal counsel to ensure you’re properly, legally protected and compliant.
Connect with Cory’s Facebook Group to get your legal questions answered. Go to www.legalwithcory.com.
