Olympic Peninsula YMCA’s leaders announced a plan earlier this month to require proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative test to use facilities starting in January.

YMCA officials notified members and program participants in Port Angeles, Sequim and Jefferson County via a Dec. 3 email and through postings at the facilities.

“By doing our part to slow the spread of COVID-19, we are protecting everyone who comes to the YMCA, especially those whose health is compromised,” said Wendy Bart, Olympic Peninsula YMCA CEO, in a press release.

“Many YMCA members and program participants have let us know they will support this effort to protect all those who use our facilities.”

She added that the YMCA’s top priority is “the health and safety of our members, staff, and community.”

Under the requirement, participants of ages 12 and older must show proof of full COVID-19 vaccination or a negative COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test in order to use YMCA facilities.

The test must show a negative result three days prior to visiting, YMCA staff said.

Bart said their leaders made the decision to require vaccines because of the high rates of cases between the two counties keeping the community in the high-risk category for months, and due to a growing concern for a winter surge of cases and the new variant Omicron.

YMCA officials said those who choose not to be vaccinated or tested, can use virtual fitness options through the clubs, or they can put their membership on hold until they are fully vaccinated or until the requirement is lifted.

Medical and/or religious accommodations will not be available for members and participants, YMCA staff said.

All club visitors 5 and older must wear a mask indoors, too, under Washington’s public health requirement, they added.

Background

Because of state guidelines designed to contain the coronavirus, YMCA gym facilities in Port Angeles and Sequim, and the Jefferson County branch office closed in mid-November 2020 and reopened in mid-January 2021 under the state’s Phase 1 “Healthy Washington” guidelines.

Membership numbers between the clubs now are about half of what they were prior to the pandemic, Bart said.

“We received federal loans and have received grant funding to support many of the programs we offered to the community during the pandemic,” she said.

“These programs included regularly checking-in with senior members to curb social isolation, offering online workouts to keep members active, and providing emergency childcare to families of first responders and essential workers.”

The clubs also provided almost 75,000 meals to prevent child hunger in the last two years, Bart added.

Bart said via email that the YMCA’s local leadership staff and board of directors discussed requiring proof of vaccination in recent months.

“We heard from many YMCA members and participants who stated that they would support this decision,” she said.

To prepare for possible negative reactions, staff attended two de-escalation training sessions from local law enforcement.

“We wanted our staff to have the tools they needed to feel confident when talking to people who didn’t agree with this decision,” Bart said.

“We also made sure we had an efficient system in place to verify once members had provided us with their proof of vaccination.”

YMCAs make decisions at a local level, such as requiring vaccination proof, Bart said, as hundreds of clubs face varying public health requirements based on their community’s risk level, mandates, and more.

For more information about the YMCA’s vaccine requirement, visit olympicpeninsulaymca.org/reopening. For program and membership information, call the YMCA of Sequim at 360-477-4381, the YMCA of Port Angeles at 360-452-9244, and the YMCA of Jefferson County at (360) 385-5811.

Editor’s note: Terry Ward, Olympic Peninsula News Group publisher, is an Olympic Peninsula YMCA board member. —­ MD

While masks are already required inside the YMCA of the Olympic Peninsula’s facilities, on Jan. 1, club members and participants ages 12 and up must provide proof of COVID-19 vaccine or a negative test to the virus before participating in events. Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash

Wendy Bart, Olympic Peninsula YMCA CEO, said they’ve considered requiring COVID-19 vaccines for months to use facilities like the Sequim pool, and during their conversations, members were mostly in favor of the decision. Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash