Rest easy, folks. All lanes are a go!
At today's meeting between the New York Bowling Proprietors Association of America President Doug Bohannon and a multitude of proprietors in New York State, it was confirmed that all lanes are a go to be used during winter league play with a few caveats.
Here are the confirmed rules for winter league play:
- All bowling centers can operate at 50% capacity. Employees are not included in the 50%.
- Masks must be worn at all times.
- Spectators are not allowed at this time.
- Temperature checks are mandatory. All league bowlers must follow normal COVID guidelines, including filling out a COVID checklist every 90 days.
- ALL lanes can be used IF AND ONLY IF physical dividers are installed between every single lane. As per the below image, the physical divider must separate every lane, not just every pair, and the barrier must go from the table in the settee area to the edge of the ball return.
- There will be NO alternating lanes. If your team is scheduled to be on lane 1, you will bowl the entire night on lane 1. No alternating.
- All other social distancing rules will be in place.
UPDATE:
Based on a conversation I had with Doug Bohannon after releasing this article, apparently there are many vagueries in the actual guidelines that were released from the Governor's office, which is leading to different interpretations.
Here's what I know:
- There is NOTHING in the actual guidelines about switching lanes. It is not mentioned at all. Due to this, it is open to interpretation. I have confirmed that some proprietors are allowing alternating lanes, while others are not. However, there is nothing specifically mentioned about alternating lanes and no one has confirmed or denied it is allowed.
- Physical barriers MUST be installed between every single lane AND pair in order to use every lane. If they are installed separating every single lane, you can use every pair at 50% capacity of the house with no spectators.
