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Aug 26, 2023

Phased in: Bowling, skating and swimming return in Virginia, but no sliding down water slides or sitting at bars

Jonathon Gruenke/Daily Press A line of people gather outside to enter Rosie's

Jonathon Gruenke/Daily Press

A line of people gather outside to enter Rosie's Gaming Emporium as it reopens in Phase 3 Wednesday afternoon July 1, 2020.

Jonathon Gruenke/Daily Press

A person plays an electronic gaming device as Rosie's Gaming Emporium reopens in Phase 3 Wednesday afternoon July 1, 2020.

Jonathon Gruenke/Daily Press

Bo Scott, facilities operations manager at Rosie's Gaming Emporium, sprays an electrostatic fogger on an electronic gaming device Wednesday afternoon July 1, 2020.

Jonathon Gruenke/Daily Press

Crowds of people gather to play electronic gaming devices as Rosie's Gaming Emporium reopens in Phase 3 Wednesday afternoon July 1, 2020.

Jonathon Gruenke/Daily Press

Crowds of people gather to play electronic gaming devices as Rosie's Gaming Emporium reopens in Phase 3 Wednesday afternoon July 1, 2020.

The neon lights glowed inside Rosie's Gaming Emporium, the bowling balls at Pinboy's were scrubbed clean and the roller skating rink at Sk8 Dojo was just days away from welcoming back fans of the four wheels.

Is that a smile I sense behind your mask?

As Virginia's phased approach to reopening the economy amid the COVID-19 pandemic entered its third stage on Wednesday, it offered one of the first opportunities in more than three months for people to be entertained. The day arrived, though, as cases have surged elsewhere in the country where reopening had progressed more quickly.

Gov. Ralph Northam even reversed plans that would have allowed for bar seating to open inside the commonwealth's restaurants, deciding Tuesday to continue to forbid seating in those areas where large numbers of people can congregate.

And at least one amusement park, Ocean Breeze Waterpark at the Oceanfront, said it was caught unaware when it found out at the last minute that water slides were still verboten across the state while swimming pool restrictions were loosened.

Even though regulations allowed more businesses to reopen their doors, it didn't guarantee they would. Movie theaters, for one, are almost all waiting a few more weeks until the movie studios debut their first new, wide-release movies since March. For the past few weeks, the Commodore in Portsmouth has been the only big screen open in the region, by virtue of its other business as a sit-down restaurant.

Nonetheless, there was palpable excitement among business owners and the customers who had been away for months.

Leigh Ann Schissler of Newport News had a pack of sanitizing wipes with her as she returned to Rosie's in Hampton, where historical horse racing machines that resemble Las Vegas slot machines blinked and buzzed.

"They have precautions, and I took precautions," she said, holding the wipes as she visited with a friend. "Between the both of us, I think we are solid."

Stir-crazy customers began lining up as early as 5 a.m. for Rosie's 8 a.m. opening, said general manager Vincent Jordan. The venue, owned and managed by the Colonial Downs Group, spent as much as $500,000 on sanitizing equipment such as divider shields between the gambling machines and a fancy apparatus that allows for touch-free scans to take customers’ temperatures before they can enter.

Charlene Lawrence of Chesapeake, who was at Rosie's with her husband, said it was the first time the couple had ventured out in a while. The safeguards put in place were to their liking. "It was very, very clean. I definitely felt safer than when I’m in the supermarket. People don't wear masks in the grocery store," she said.

The venue, which normally has at least 2,000 people playing and betting on a regular day, had about 200 gathered midday Wednesday.

At Sk8 Dojo Roller Rink in Virginia Beach, co-owner C. Scott Gilbert recalled the desperate-sounding phone calls he would get from customers during the "teeth of the pandemic."

"I had people contacting me in the throes of this thing," he said. "It's April 10, we’re all stuck in our houses, people are losing their their jobs, the sky is falling. And I am getting phone calls and texts, Facebook messages, saying ‘Are you guys open tonight?’ After the second or third time, I said, ‘Are you aware there's an international pandemic?'"

But he also sympathized with people going nuts stuck at home.

"I decided that was rude, and I stopped saying that," he said. "This was not 12-year-olds calling. These were grandparents who want to outsource their kids: ‘Please tell me you’re open!'"

Now, he has a new answer when people call. Come Friday.

At Haygood Roller Skating Center in Virginia beach, co-owner Nikki Stokes says her staff has been in the rink for long days of cleaning and prepping to re-open their rink at noon today.

Her cleaning protocols were already robust, she says, but now they’re especially important.

"We disinfect (our skates). We have spray from the hospitals that we spray into the shoes and around the shoes — we’ve always done that, but we’ll be a little extra careful now."

The same focus on cleanliness was on display at Pinboy's at the Beach, a locally owned bowling alley that's been rolling since 1959.

Players don masks to come through the entrance and are greeted by temperature checks at the door. Once they get to a lane, they’re separated from other players by yellow ropes. The arcade is largely closed, bar seating is a no-go and glass shields protect workers behind counters. When a group wraps up, employees wipe down every surface, including tables, chairs, the touchscreen monitors — even the finger holes in the bowling balls are cleaned with a special brush.

"We’re obsessed with trying to do this right," said Dwight Mitchum, the long-time owner. "We’re a part of the community and have been for the last 50 years."

Among the early crowd was a 95-year-old bowler who used to frequent the place four or five times a week, Mitchum said. It was one of the first times the man had left his house since Virginia saw its first positive COVID-19 case in early March, he said, stressing how close the bowling community is in Hampton Roads.

The last few months have been tough. Higher-than-typical insurance costs and a large property — meaning higher taxes — added to the pain.

He's hoping to break even in the coming months, but may not be able to. "I’m afraid that's a real possibility," he said.

But he hasn't let any of his 40 employees go, and said he's hoping to give hours to everyone who wants to come back.

Around 1 p.m., two people, one a seasoned bowler carrying several of his own bowling balls, walked out, saying goodbye to Mitchum.

"See you tomorrow," one said.

As Virginia has loosened restrictions through its various phases, the restaurant industry was hit especially hard. First it was allowed to give takeout only, then patio dining, finally indoor dining, all at lower capacities. And through all that, self-serve buffets remained off limits.

Captain George's Seafood Buffet, a three-decade tradition in these parts with locations in Virginia Beach and Williamsburg, made it work by running their buffets like an old-school elevator: with attendants.

"Families could go through each section, point at what they want, ask for what they want. They’d hold their plate, and the buffet attendant would put the food on the plate," said Lisa Crain, guest experience manager for George's four locations, including the ones in North and South Carolina.

Want a crab leg? You’d point to the crab leg, and with luck, you get the crab leg you were after.

With Phase 3, self-service is back — with some adjustments.

For each trip to the all-you-can-eat buffet, Crain said, guests must use hand sanitizer and put on a fresh pair of gloves.

"If you go to the buffet five times," she says, "you use five pairs of gloves."

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