A Coronavirus Cautionary Tale About a Superspreader Spin Class

A SpinCo spin studio in Hamilton, Ontario has become the site of an outbreak of coronavirus that has reportedly spread rapidly through the community after two patrons and one staff member tested positive. Though the outbreak started with just three cases of covid-19 last Monday, it has now grown to over 72 cases that are associated with that single spin studio—and between the people who visited the gym and their friends, family, and coworkers, it’s possible that as many as 2,500 people could have potentially been exposed.

Unlike many places in the United States, gym-goers in Hamilton aren’t required to wear masks while exercising indoors, although the studio did cut its ridership in half to allow for a six-foot radius of physical distance around each bike. The Spectator reports that this SpinCo outbreak has spread to other locations, after a restaurant where three staff members tested positive for the virus this week reported that their first case was linked to the spin studio.

All of this leads me to ask: Is the cardio ever really worth it? The answer is no.