Businesses are opening up all over New York State, and with the public adhering to safety measures, cases of COVID-19 currently remain contained. It's time for gyms and the YMCA to open as soon as possible so members of our community can get back to living a healthy and active lifestyle. Staying active keeps our immune system strong and can help stave off illness.
The YMCA is committed to ensuring the health and safety of every member and staff. We're taking extraordinary precautions to ensure we are opening our facilities slowly and safely to protect one another.
Help us advocate for the Reopening of our YMCA's by speaking out!
TAKE ACTION TODAY:
1. Email New York State decision-makers and ask them to allow gyms to reopen.
Copy, paste, personalize the letter below, and send an email to:
Governor Andrew Cuomo: Contact Form
Secretary to the Governor, Melissa DeRosa: Melissa.DeRosa@exec.ny.gov
Commissioner, Howard Zucker: Howard.Zucker@health.ny.gov
NYS Budget Director, Rob Mujica: Robert.Mujica@budget.ny.gov
Let YMCAs Serve New York
The Governor’s decision to prohibit YMCAs from reopening at the beginning of Phase 4 is completely unwarranted given the progress that New York State achieved. I strongly encourage the Governor to immediately release the guidelines for reopening gyms and to set a firm date to resume operations. The recent decision directly jeopardizes the economic viability of one of New York State’s largest non-profit organizations and employers, as well as the health and well-being of more than 1.5 million children, families, and seniors who rely on the Y for everything from child care to housing.
Since closing their doors in March, YMCAs have renovated their facilities, retrained staff to help prevent the spread of illness, adjusted their cleaning protocols, enforce the use of PPE, and physically redesigned their spaces in order to create an environment that exceeds the health and safety best practice guidelines from the CDC and State Department of Health.
YMCAs across the state have worked together to ensure that they are reopening in a safe and responsible manner. Many Ys have been delivering essential services, like child care, food and housing programs throughout the pandemic. Many of which are operating without adequate funding. YMCAs are confident in their ability to operate in a manner that minimizes the risk to their staff and members.
It is clear that YMCAs can run safely and responsibly during this pandemic. My community needs the Y, and we need your help to make sure the Y can continue to serve our community.
2. Call our government leaders and advocate for the Y's reopening. The Y is ready to welcome back members safely.
Governor Cuomo: (518) 474-8390
Melissa DeRosa: (518) 474-4246
Howard Zucker: (518) 474-2011
Rob Mujica: (518) 474-2300
3. Take to Twitter (or any social platform, really)! Post these sample messages on your social media channels and help advocate for the Ys reopening.
New York’s YMCAs are ready and able to reopen in a safe and responsible manner. Tell @NYGovCuomo to let the Y get back to work!
Since closing our doors in March, YMCAs have renovated facilities, adjusted cleaning protocols, and redesigned spaces to meet health and safety best practice guidelines from the @CDC and @HealthNYGov.
YMCAs worked together to ensure that they are reopening in a safe and responsible manner. Many YMCAs have been delivering essential services during the pandemic. We know how to operate in a manner that minimizes the risk to our staff and members.