Currently Billiards and Pool Halls throughout North Carolina have no set timetable for reopening. Originally they were set to reopen in Phase 2 on 05/22/2020, however as of 03/17/2020, Governor Cooper classified Billiards and Pool Halls as high risk indoor recreational activities and therefore did not provide any date for reopening as it was pushed from Phase 2 to this elusive Phase 3

Billiards and Pool Halls are large open spaces in which people can easily social distance. They are able to take ALL of the necessary precautions and measures to achieve successful social distancing, require masks, no shared equipment, sanitizing balls and table after use, to ensure the safety of their customers and employees.

Many of the proprietors and employees' livelihoods are at stake. Failing to open billiard and pool halls soon will result in many more closing and never reopening on top of many people being out of work. Almost every other state in the country has either already opened billiard and pool halls or has provided a date in which they will open. Only North Carolina does not have a set date.

Bowling Alleys, Skating Rinks, Gyms, Rock Climbing, Trampoline Parks, and Laser Tag Businesses have all been allowed to open for "health benefits", so should our pool halls. Billiards is a mental game many of us play to keep our minds sharp. It is a game of endurance; many of us have played in all day/weekend tournaments. Billiards involves a lot of stretching and movement around a table and you are using various muscle movements as you shoot at different angles in various positions, boom there's your yoga for the day.

Several pool halls through out the state have remained open and running tournaments; including pool halls, right down the road from Cooper. These pool halls have been able to successfully and safely operate in the past six months, only proving even more that this can be done.

Cooper is not sending any relief for us anytime soon, and that's fine we don't need your money please let us open to make my own.