GREENSBORO, N.C. — Phase 2.5 is set to start on Friday.
Under the new phase, museums, aquariums and gyms can all reopen with reduced capacity.
Playgrounds can even finally re-open, but bars, nightclubs, movie theaters and amusement parks will stay closed.
For some, It's a welcome sign to get their businesses back on track.
For others, the wait continues.
Red Cinemas owner Marty Kotis said he wants to see the data behind why his theater can't re-open.
“What we'd like to see is some science and data behind these decisions,” Kotis said.
He made a Facebook post in frustration, after Governor Roy Coopers announcement.
“It’s important that we have leadership that makes logical decisions based on science and data,” Kotis said. “Right now for the life of me I don’t understand why our theater with all the safety precautions put in place is not consider safe.”
Kotis spent a quarter million dollars making coronavirus safety additions, that likely won't be put to use until at least October.
“Our theater is safer than 99 percent of other operations open,” Kotis said. “We’ve added additional aisles, foot operated door pulls, tons of sanitizing stations, UVC air filtration units, and purchased UVC medical grade scanners.”
Greensboro Downtown Yoga studio owner Summer Sides said she was shocked when Governor Cooper eased restrictions, allowing her studio to re-open.
“It was an exciting thing to see him say yes we can go into a more phased in approach,” Sides said.
Governor Cooper said fitness centers can operate at 30 percent capacity, something Sides said right now isn't worth doing.
“With the size of our space, and when you look at what it's going to cost to pay our instructor and our member management software we’ve cut costs on we're only making a small amount so we're going to do our own small phased in approach,” Sides said.
Sides said her virtual studio will kick start next week and she’ll only offer private sessions in person for the time being.
Kotis won't have any new showings or long concession lines any time soon.
We’re waiting to hear back from the Governors office for more details on how they decided what businesses will and will not open Friday.
The National Association of Theatre Owners is petitioning lawmakers for another round of relief for cinema
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