After a four-month closure, YMCA facilities in Port Angeles and Sequim will reopen on Monday with a number of health-related modifications.
YMCA facilities on the North Olympic Peninsula all closed in March following Gov. Jay Inslee’s stay-home order.
The YMCA of Jefferson County at 1925 Blaine St., in Port Townsend will remain closed to the public although staff members are answering phones and emails remotely. It also has continued to offer such off-site programs as its summer meals program, which delivers free meals to children throughout East Jefferson County through Aug. 31, as well summer camps that began July 6 and run through Aug. 28.
YMCA officials in Port Angeles — at 302 S. Francis St. — and Sequim — at 610 N. Fifth Ave. — originally expected to stay closed until Clallam County moved into Phase 3 of the state’s Safe Start plan, but the new Phase 2 guidelines released last Monday allowed more flexibility, said Erin Hawkins, YMCA spokesperson, in a press release issued Friday.
“The Olympic Peninsula YMCA has served Clallam and Jefferson counties for many years and we’ve made it through many challenging times together, none perhaps as impactful for our community and our Y as the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Wendy Bart, CEO of the Olympic Peninsula YMCA, in the release.
“We are thrilled to begin reopening our facilities, welcoming back our members and the community, and getting back to what we do best — helping everyone reach their full potential.”
In developing a COVID-19 Safety Plan, staff at Olympic Peninsula YMCAs in Port Angeles and Sequim have a five-stage reopening process aimed at safely introducing membership back at facilities.
Stage 1 of the reopening plan includes limiting hours of operation, limiting capacity for safe social distancing, and limiting the programs and services available.
Facilities will be accessible only via reservation basis. Members can make an online reservation at www.olympicpeninsula ymca.org/reservations.
Facilities will limit hours of operation to 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays. They will be closed on Sundays for deep cleaning and sanitizing. Pool hours will be the same as facility hours.
Members will be required to wear facial coverings at all times inside the facilities except when engaged in strenuous exercise. Staff members will wear facial coverings, conduct their own health screenings before and after work, provide safety signage throughout our facilities and maintain “rigorous” cleaning and sanitizing procedures, YMCA representatives said.
A designated “isolation area” will be available at each Y facility in case a member exhibits COVID-19 symptoms while there.
“The safety of our members and staff will be our top priority and our reopening will be conducted under the guidance of the CDC, state, and local public health authorities,” YMCA administrators said.
For more information about the YMCA’s reopening plan, see www. olympicpeninsulaymca.org/reopening.
For more information about the YMCA of Sequim, call 360-477-4381; for the YMCA of Port Angeles, call 360-452-9244; and for Jefferson County’s YMCA, call 360-385-5811.
For general inquiries, email info@olympic peninsulaymca.org.
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Terry Ward, publisher of the Peninsula Daily News, Sequim Gazette and Forks Forum, serves on the Olympic Peninsula YMCA board of directors.
