Fairwood Lanes is set to reopen for bowling Wednesday after a state judge ruled today they could do so following a lawsuit filed against Governor Roy Cooper.
Elizabeth Robinson said the anticipated opening time for bowling is 4 p.m. Wednesday.
WRAL reported this afternoon the Bowling Proprietors Association of the Carolinas and Georgia sued Cooper last month. They claimed his restrictions in light of the novel coronavirus unfairly kept bowling alleys closed while allowing other businesses to reopen and operate under strict social distancing and cleaning guidelines.
Fairwood had been closed for bowling five days shy of four months, Timothy Robinson said.
WRAL reported Special Superior Court Judge James Gale ruled the governor had no reasonable basis to continue to treat bowling alleys differently than businesses sharing common risks which he has allowed to reopen during Phase 2.
The guidelines the association set for allowing bowling in the time of the pandemic are as follows:
All bowlers would be required to wear masks.
Occupancy would be limited to 50 percent of capacity, and each group of bowlers would be separated by an empty lane on either side.
Rental shoes would be sanitized after each use.
Bowling balls cannot be shared by anyone other than family members and would be sanitized after each use.
Hand sanitizer stations would be set up throughout each facility.
High-touch areas would be wiped down between each group of bowlers and extensively cleaned once daily.
All employees would have their health screened before their shifts.
Signs, partitions and other efforts would be used to promote social distancing and reduce groups from congregating.
The Robinsons said this afternoon they joined in the lawsuit and received support in the form of letters encouraging the reopening of bowling alleys.
“We’re all going to do the best we can,” Mrs. Robinson said. “We’re going to be as safe as we can. We have too much invested to close.”
Fairwood already put in plexiglass between tables at the lanes and over the cash registers. “We already had hand sanitizing stations from day one,” she said.
More information will be shared via Fairwood’s Facebook page.
