“It’s so stupid, if you don’t mind me saying that,” Jordan Binenstock said. “It just doesn’t make sense. All the time it makes no sense.”
He says he showed up at his Union Township gym wearing a surgical mask instead of a cloth one.
“They wouldn’t let me in,” he said. “They wouldn’t let me in because I wasn’t wearing a cotton mask.”
It turns out that Planet Fitness bans surgical masks and Binenstock even recorded multiple interactions with employees who confirmed it.
“In the surgical mask, as we were informed from the company, they tend to break or deteriorate with their sweating when you work,” one employee told him. “Therefore, they are not allowed.”
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Binestock prefers the surgical mask because it doesn’t irritate his skin and is the same type that Governor Phil Murphy often wears at his press meetings.
The governor’s executive order on reopening the gym “requires workers and customers to wear cloth linings,” but later it is said that “nothing in the stated policy should prevent workers or customers from wearing a surgical grade mask or any other more protective face if you already have this equipment. “
A Planet Fitness spokesman responded with a statement.
“The safety and well-being of our staff and members remains our number one priority,” it was said. “Members and guests are allowed to wear disposable surgical masks at our New Jersey clubs” and that “we believe there was poor communication about the guidelines and that Planet Fitness’s local location is aware.”
But that didn’t seem to fix the situation.
“I think the problem is you got to the company,” Binenstock said. “And the problem is it’s a franchise.”
So called his old gym, and he certainly got the same answer.
“You can only wear cotton or cloth,” they told him. “No surgery.”
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Binenstock’s says Planet Fitness canceled its subscription and not only wants to apologize, but also wants a refund.
“They’ve wasted a lot of time and money on customers,” he said.
Governor Murphy’s office told Eyewitness News that companies should be flexible in allowing people to wear any mask that meets CDC requirements, including a surgical mask.
“The governor’s orders regarding the use of masks are intended to ensure that as many people as possible wear masks so that New Jersey residents can participate more safely in certain activities and minimize the spread of the virus,” it was said. in a statement. “We would urge companies to be flexible in allowing people to wear any type of mask that meets CDC requirements and is tailored to current activity, as outlined in Executive Order No. 192.”
If you believe a company is in breach of a mask policy, you can file a claim online by CLICKING HERE.
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