RESOURCES
Learn more about what's guiding our proposal.
John Lynch, MD MPH
Associate Professor
Division of Allergy & Infectious Disease
University of Washington School of Medicine
Medical Director
Infection Control
Harborview Medical Center
Professor of Microbiology
Biological Sciences Dept.
California Polytechnic State University
Michael Lin, MD
Assistant Clinical Professor
UCLA Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine
Division of Critical Care Medicine
Pediatrician, MemorialCare Medical Group
Professor of Medicine
Division of Infectious Diseases
University of California Irvine School of Medicine
Medical Director, Epidemiology and Infection Prevention
UC Irvine Health
Research Associate Professor
Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine
University of Washington
Clinical Professor of Emergency Medicine, UCLA School of Medicine
Board Chair and Founder, Community Partners International
DOCTORS TESTIMONIALS
Letter of Support from Medical Community
Signatures to the below letter are being gathered from medical experts in Washington State. Interested in signing? Email info@wiccoalition.org
To our state leaders,
We, the undersigned, fully support the continued operations of Indoor Climbing facilities in the state of Washington with proven safety protocols highlighted by the Washington Indoor Climbing Coalition. (i.e. health screening, limited occupancy, masking, sanitizing and alcohol-based liquid chalk use).
COVID outbreak data is now extensive. Many states in our country, including Washington state, have outbreak data tracking which clearly shows that fitness centers and indoor climbing facilities are not a vector for COVID-19 transmission.
Furthermore, indoor climbing facilities are unique in comparison to traditional fitness centers in the following ways:
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MASKS ALWAYS REQUIRED: climbing can be done masks on at all times
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SOCIALLY DISTANT: patrons consistently maintain open and distant spaces (well beyond 6 feet) between masked climbers
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LARGE OPEN FACILITIES: Indoor climbing makes use of facilities with very high ceilings and the ability to keep large doors and windows open
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EXCEPTIONAL AIR FLOW: Indoor climbing facilities also offer exceptional air flow logistics with commercial HVAC, fans, filtration and air cleaning systems to continuously supply fresh, clean air.
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MAGNESIUM CARBONATE: climbing hold surfaces are inhospitable for infectious particles due to the utilization of chalk.
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CONTACT TRACING: Existing check-in/out procedures provide for excellent contact-tracing with simple, accurate reporting.
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RISK MANAGEMENT: Health screening and accurate control of allowed patrons is exceedingly more reliable than other public spaces.
As healthcare professionals, we believe that indoor climbing facilities can contribute to the health and well-being of our communities by providing much safer operations than many of the public spaces still open under current guidelines. We urge that our state leaders review the current WA State COVID-19 guidelines, and strongly consider allowing indoor climbing specific facilities to continue operations.
Thank you for your consideration