Northeastern announces reopening of recreation facilities

Gretchen Hofmann

Exercise equipment in Marino is placed six feet apart in order to maintain safety protocols.

Ethan Wayne, breaking news editor

Northeastern University’s Campus Recreation Department announced Tuesday that Marino Recreation Center and SquashBusters Center will reopen on Feb. 1 in accordance with Boston’s safety guidelines. Both facilities will operate at 25% capacity. 

In addition to restarting personal training programs, both facilities will continue to offer virtual classes, eSports events and prerecorded workouts.

Reservations for both locations will open Jan. 29, 72 hours prior to the reopening date. Students can use the Atleto app to reserve zones for specific times. 

As of Jan. 27, the university-wide seven-day positivity rate sits at 0.22% with an average of 10 new student cases per day. As of Jan. 26, Boston has a seven-day active case average of 6,462 cases.

Both facilities closed in December to abide by Boston’s Phase 2, Step 2 COVID-19 protocols. Now, as both Northeastern and the city of Boston distribute the COVID-19 vaccine and cases continue to trend down city-wide, Boston will enter Phase 3, Step 1 of the Massachusetts reopening plan. 

In addition to recreation facilities, other industries, such as movie theaters and museums, are permitted to reopen at 25% capacity. Indoor event spaces like meeting rooms and social clubs will also open, with 10-person capacity limits. 

Safety guidelines in Boston will be subject to change depending on future COVID-19 trends.