A North Carolina judge ruled that bowling alley business can reopen during COVID-19, despite executive orders from Gov. Roy Cooper. | Stock Photo
A North Carolina judge ruled that bowling alley business can reopen during COVID-19, despite executive orders from Gov. Roy Cooper. | Stock Photo
Republican lawmakers are criticizing the governor after a judge ruled that bowling alleys can reopen despite an executive order requiring those businesses to remain closed at this time during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Republicans have pushed legislation to reopen certain businesses with mixed results. However, the bowling alley reopening order is one of the most significant rulings to support the Republican Party's position during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“One of the governor’s executive orders allows some businesses to open, while other businesses can’t,” Rep. Chris Humphrey (R-Lenoir) said in a Facebook post on July 7 about the judge's ruling. “The balance of power at work.”
Judge James L. Gale ruled that bowling alleys can reopen but must follow social distancing rules and other orders related to stopping the spread of the coronavirus. His ruling also requires proper sanitizing methods such as cleaning bowling balls after use, requiring only family members to use a lane as a group, and training employees on COVID-19 safety measures.
“This court decision reflects the difficult reality that the governor has chosen winners and losers in North Carolina’s economy without any justification or consistency, devastating some family businesses while helping others,” House Speaker Tim Moore (R-Cleveland) said in a statement on his website about the ruling.
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