“It’s so downright stupid if you don’t mind me saying this,” said Jordan Binenstock. ‘It just doesn’t make any sense. It makes no sense all the time. ‘
He says he came to his gym in Union Township with a surgical mask instead of a cloth mask.
“They wouldn’t let me in,” he said. “They wouldn’t let me in because I wasn’t wearing a cotton mask.”
Turns out Planet Fitness bans surgical masks and Binenstock has even recorded multiple interactions with employees to confirm this.
“The surgical mask, we were told by the company, has a tendency to tear or deteriorate when you wear the sweat, when you exercise,” an employee told him. “So they are not allowed.”
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Binestock prefers the surgical mask because it doesn’t irritate his skin, and it’s the same kind of Governor Phil Murphy who often wears at his press conferences.
The governor’s executive order on gym reopening “requires employees and customers to wear cloth face coverings,” but it later says, “Nothing in the stated policy should prevent employees or customers from wearing a surgical-grade mask or other more protective already in place. is in possession of such equipment. “
A Planet Fitness spokesperson responded with a statement.
“The safety and well-being of our employees and members remains our number one priority,” it said. “Members and guests are allowed to wear disposable surgical masks in our New Jersey clubs” and that “We think there was a miscommunication about the guidelines and the local Planet Fitness location is aware of this.”
But that didn’t seem to fix the situation.
“I think the problem is you’ve gotten to the company,” said Binenstock. “And the problem is this is a franchise.”
That’s what he called his former gym, and sure enough, he got the same answer.
“You can only wear cotton or fabric,” he was told. “No surgery.”
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Binenstock says Planet Fitness has canceled its membership and not only wants an apology, he also wants a refund.
“They have wasted a lot of time and money from customers,” he said.
Governor Murphy’s office told Eyewitness News that companies must be flexible in allowing individuals to wear any mask that is CDC compliant, including a surgical mask.
“The governor’s orders regarding wearing masks are to ensure that as many people as possible wear masks, so that NJ residents can more safely participate in certain activities while minimizing the spread of the virus,” said a statement. “We urge companies to be flexible in allowing individuals to wear any type of mask that is CDC compliant and appropriate for the particular activity, as stated in Executive Order No. 192.”
If you think a company is in violation of a mask policy, you can file a complaint online by CLICKING HERE.
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