By Anna Phillips | March 25, 2020 at 7:50 PM EDT – Updated March 25 at 11:34 PM
WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) -Two days after Governor Roy Cooper’s announcement, Executive Order 120 took effect, closing all salons, barber shops, gyms and fitness centers, movie theaters, skating rinks and bowling alleys across the state.
At TF Fitness and Nutrition, exercise enthusiasts got in final gym sessions as the afternoon wound down.
Owner Skip Lennon says he intended to stay open for as long as possible with confidence that the 20,000 square foot space would allow for workouts at a social distance.
Staff taped “temporarily closed” signs on the front door right at 5 p.m.
“It’s a lot of uncertainty for a lot of people right now so we’re just trying the best we can one day at a time,” Lennon said.
The gym is one of many in our area turning to online home work-out classes as the only option for helping people keep up with regular exercise for as long as they’re closed.
No one knows exactly how long that will be.
“I think that’s the biggest thing,” Lennon said. “Uncertainty – what happens next? I think with us as well as with a lot of small businesses, how do you forecast next week? Next month? Not knowing what’s going to happen with stimulus bills, employees, that kind of stuff.”
The Executive Order specifies any entertainment facilities without retail or dining components as well as personal grooming establishments, which includes but is not limited to:
- Barber shops
- Beauty Salons
- Bingo parlors
- Bowling alleys
- Gaming facilities
- Indoor fitness facilities
- Hair & Nail salons
- Health clubs
- Indoor/Outdoor pools
- Live performance venues
- Massage parlors
- Movie theaters
- Skating rinks
- Spas
- Tattoo parlors
Violations of the order are punishable as a Class 2 Misdemeanor. The order lasts for thirty days.
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