Gov. Andrew Cuomo today said that bowling centers will be allowed to reopen starting Monday.
"Bowling is back, now let's back bowling," proclaimed Randy Hanks, proprietor of Oak Orchard Bowl in Albion, upon hearing the news that bowling center owners have been waiting for since the middle of March. Hanks said he plans to open his establishment on Aug. 21.
Cuomo said that center proprietors will be required to limit capacity to 50 percent and bowlers will have to stay at their assigned lanes, Cuomo said. Additionally, it is being reported that everyone must wear face coverings and every other lane must be closed.
Food and alcohol service will be permitted, but only by wait service at individual lanes.
In a telephone briefing with reporters, published reports indicated that Cuomo said, “They (servers) come to you. You don’t go to a bar. They come to you.”
Bowling centers have been shut down since mid-March – losing a considerable portion of their budget revenue for the 2019-20 season and now are in jeopardy of being unable to fill their leagues for the 2020-21 season that traditionally begins in September.
Proprietors across the state have been appealing to state senate and assembly members, and have engaged in letter writing and email campaigns in their collective effort to convince the governor to let them reopen safely.
Mike Sputore, manager of Mancuso Bowling Center in Batavia, said he plans to open the facility on Monday, Aug. 24, with league meetings set up for that week.
The report also indicated that the governor will issue protocols on Monday detailing what is necessary for fitness centers or gyms to reopen.
