Gyms open Friday as part of Indiana's Phase 3

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Friday marks the third stage of Gov. Eric Holcomb’s plan to re-start the state's economy, a couple days ahead of schedule.

Among other markets, it means gyms can reopen and fields at local parks can have crowds up to 100 people, though there are still a lot of precautions to be taken for those venues.

For the Salvation Army’s Kroc Center in South Bend and many other gyms, that means spacing out machines, turning off water fountains and having staff maintain clean surfaces.

“We’ve checked with the CDC guidelines,” Kroc Center Senior Officer Monty Wandling said. “We have very wonderful products that are rated high or even the highest on some of those items that were using for cleaning, so we’re asking our members. They’ll sign a code of conduct that ‘hey, I’m going to keep a mask on, I’m going to be safe, and I’m going to make sure I’m cleaning up after myself.’”

The center’s popular turf soccer field has been mostly closed since the lockdowns started, but now bigger groups can come play again, though contact play is still discouraged.