Owners of bars, gyms find out Wednesday if Gov. Cooper will allow them to reopen

Whether it's a Phase 2.5 or Phase 3, some businesses hoping to welcome customers and staff back are gyms and bars. The two industries were left out of Phase Two and hope to get the green light Wednesday afternoon. Cooper is expected to announce the news at a press conference scheduled for 3 p.m.

The biggest struggle for both gyms and bars during this time is finances. With no income and bills piling up, bar and gym owners are trying to stay optimistic. They’ve been working on ways to modify how they operate in order to keep customers and staff safe. Now, they just hope the governor will give them a chance.

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“My places are going to be at 50% capacity or whatever is ordered, try to do social distancing, have signs, do our best to enforce a mask policy,” said Daniel Lovenheim, owner of Cornerstone Taverna and Alchemy.

“That’s going to be regulating foot traffic through our check-in process, ensuring that we have a hands-free system in place for our members if they check in," said Walker Gorham, co-owner of Crunch Fitness. "Ultimately we’ve pulled down a fair amount of cardiovascular equipment and machines to ensure we can maintain that six to ten spacing throughout the club.”

If bars and gyms are not included in the governor’s announcement, the owners who spoke to WRAL said they will be disappointed but will continue doing what they can to stay afloat. The bar owners also hope that if they can’t reopen, Cooper will at least consider take-out cocktails as an option so they can begin making some kind of income.