The Activities and Recreation Center reopened to students last week, and now faculty, staff and emeriti will be able to return starting Saturday (May 1).

The ARC has reopened twice over the course of the pandemic only to be forced to close about two weeks later when conditions worsened each time. This time, officials are confident improving conditions will allow it to stay open.

“There is a significant amount of planning and coordination required to be able to reopen the ARC,” Campus Recreation says on its website. “We must hire and train approximately 175 students for the ARC’s daily operations, including regular disinfection procedures. These students also need time to adjust their schedules and perhaps alter their living arrangements to work at the ARC.”

As an additional complication, the building is still hosting the campus’s COVID-19 testing and vaccination clinic. Parts of the facility have been closed to keep the two groups separate from each other, but officials say the clinic could make finding a parking spot more difficult.

A detailed list of available activities and restrictions is available on the Campus Recreation website. For example, locker rooms and showers are available but members must bring their own towels. Physical distancing rules mean workout partners can’t spot each other, and face coverings are required for everyone at all times.

Reservations are required to visit the ARC, and members must also show a completed daily symptom survey before entering. Members can make reservations and check in at the ARC using the new Campus Recreation App. The facility will be open from 6 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. on weekdays and from 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. on weekends.

Campus Recreation will continue to stream live workouts on the department’s Facebook page.

Officials hope to allow alumni, family and community members to return starting June 1, and return to regular hours by September. Further updates will be posted to the Campus Recreation website.