For over one year, the Student Recreation Center at UCR has had its doors closed and operations on pause in accordance with the coronavirus safety guidelines set in place by the state and the university.
In a campuswide email sent on March 22, Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Brian Haynes Haynes stated that he is very happy to announce the March 29 reopening of the SRC with new safety guidelines to ensure a safe transition back to in person operations.
With the reopening, the SRC will be open to UCR students only and the tennis, swimming pool and SRC South Fitness Center will be available to use at 10% capacity. SRC North, multipurpose rooms and basketball courts are unavailable to use at this time. Patrons and workers will be required to wear face coverings at all times while indoors.
The SRC has also implemented new technology like their touch-less entry system, strict cleaning procedures and social distancing protocols to support the health and well-being of students. Students will be required to book access to the gym and other SRC facilities using the UCRSRC mobile app or online.
The recreation center will be open from 12 to 6 p.m. every day, and each student will be allowed up to one hour of access until the SRC is temporarily closed for 30 minutes to thoroughly clean and sanitize all equipment before the next reservation time begins. The gym will allow up to 149 reservations an hour, with the SRC pool and tennis courts allowing only six reservations per hour. To enter, students will need to scan their Member ID located within the app.
Students are allowed to book their reservations for the SRC facilities up to two days in advance, and working out with a partner or in groups is not permitted. Students must also bring a clean towel to workout, and they will not be admitted into the building without one. Students are highly encouraged to shower at home as well.
The reopening of the SRC comes after Riverside County recently moved from the purple to the red tier of California’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy, a four-tier, color-coded system that tightens or loosens coronavirus restrictions based on the amount of daily new cases per 100,000 people and the positivity rate of COVID-19 tests. The red tier allows for many indoor businesses to open up to 25% capacity, retail stores at 50% and gyms at 10%.
UCR is currently in phase 2 of its campus reopening plan and is currently set to reopen in fall 2021 along with all UC campuses.
After closing along with the university on March 16, 2020, the SRC has had a smooth transition to virtual events and activities. Since then, they have relied on social media to connect students with at-home workouts, DIY activities, recipes and virtual dance and workout classes via zoom. The SRC has also collaborated with campus organizations like The Well, Active Minds and Basic Needs to host virtual events about the importance of mental health and finding balance during COVID-19, as well as providing resources to students experiencing food and housing insecurity.
To book your SRC reservation time, students must visit https://recreationregistration.ucr.edu or the UCRSRC mobile app.
