Some businesses willing to wait before expanding capacity under new pandemic rules

The new restrictions, which take effect at 5 p.m. Friday, allow Marbles Kids Museum and other museums to operate at 100 percent capacity, up from 50 percent previously.

“This kind of took us by surprise," Madison Pharr, director of guest experience at Marbles, said Thursday of the sudden capacity increase.

Marbles plans to keep its capacity at 50 percent, about 700 people, for now and slowly increase that as people get more used to the idea of being around larger crowds, Pharr said.

"We don’t want to go too fast and make people feel uncomfortable, make it feel crowded. That’s been a priority for us," she said. "Right now, our guests are really loving the timed-ticket entry, and they’re loving how much space they have. So, we want to slowly ramp that back up."

Marbles also has no immediate plans to hire more staff to handle large crowds, Pharr said.

Restrictions easing: Here's what changes, what stays the same

Meanwhile, Scott Johnson has already started hiring at Tapout Fitness, on Six Forks Road near Atlantic Avenue.

"I would not say I was surprised that they’re loosening things up,” Johnson said of the eased restrictions.

Gyms, which were closed for months during the pandemic, were allowed to operate at 30 percent capacity until a month ago, when that was raised to 50 percent. Under the new rules, that limit has been raised again to 75 percent.

At 50 percent capacity, Tapout can accommodate 130 people. At 75 percent, that jumps to 195.

“Expanding the capacity does give us more flexibility in the sense that it’s a safer place for people to be doing things," Johnson said.

The real impact for gyms, he said, will be when officials end the statewide mask mandate. That’s what many of his customers are eagerly waiting for, he said.

"We will be able to add different programs," he said. "There’s people I know who don’t want to really be in the gym with masks, so it’ll open up a set of people in terms of their willingness to come in and work out.”