Coronavirus surge...

[J Anderson]

Our bowling center is remaining open despite the closure order. Several local restaurants are also continuing indoor dining despite a ban on such activities. Business owners simply can't sustain closures any longer and aren't going to furlough or lay off employees during the holidays.

Our governor is reluctant to shut everything down again. Even so when we went to pick up our Saturday night take-out yesterday it looked like there was only one booth occupied. Just a few weeks ago they would have had most of the outdoor tables full and and an equal number in use inside. It’s not just the government restrictions, it’s a breakdown of trust that our fellow humans are going to behave themselves.

[Ryster]

Our governor is reluctant to shut everything down again. Even so when we went to pick up our Saturday night take-out yesterday it looked like there was only one booth occupied. Just a few weeks ago they would have had most of the outdoor tables full and and an equal number in use inside. It’s not just the government restrictions, it’s a breakdown of trust that our fellow humans are going to behave themselves.

In this area, unfortunately, people are not behaving themselves. For example, large groups of unrelated kids are continuing to carpool and meet up at the bowling center on Friday nights and bowl together unmasked (after congregating in the parking lot in unmasked groups of 6-10 first.) People continue to pack the big box stores and do their holiday shopping. People are packing in to the enclosed outdoor dining setups that restaurants have installed (what is the difference between enclosed outdoor dining and standard indoor dining? As soon as you enclose the outdoor space, it is no safer than indoor dining...)

Despite bowling centers being ordered to close, ours remains open. While I understand the reasoning for remaining open, I question whether it is truly the responsible thing to do. To be ordered to close, yet remain open and then constantly remind customers to follow the guidelines is kind of hypocritical. It is basically saying "I am choosing not to follow the Governor's rules, but all of you customers need to keep following the Governor's rules." I will go and bowl my scheduled league just like 99% of other league bowlers have said they will do, however unlike numerous other bowlers I have no plans to go any other times during the "shutdown period". It also seems unfair to the other local centers that immediately closed when ordered to by the Governor. Yes they could also reopen and attempt to ignore the order, however they are acting responsibly and staying closed.

[RobLV1]

After finally being released last night after 7 days in the hospital fighting Covid, I will say that any business that decides to ignore an order to close or not mask up is acting in a totally irresponsible way. The seven days that I spent in the hospital were, without a doubt, the most terrifying time of my life. The bad thing is that I'm pretty sure that I was infected due to my bowling center's lack of interest in enforcing the rules. To make matters worse, when I asked them to please enforce the rules, I was called a trouble maker. Please guys, please please please take this seriously. Between my own experience where I was very lucking, though I have to lug oxygen around for the next two months, and the loss of a long-time bowling friend who as getting better when he suddenly crashed and died, I can tell you in all honesty, this virus cannot be taken too seriously... if you value your life and the lives of your loved ones.

[Ryster]

After finally being released last night after 7 days in the hospital fighting Covid, I will say that any business that decides to ignore an order to close or not mask up is acting in a totally irresponsible way. The seven days that I spent in the hospital were, without a doubt, the most terrifying time of my life. The bad thing is that I'm pretty sure that I was infected due to my bowling center's lack of interest in enforcing the rules. To make matters worse, when I asked them to please enforce the rules, I was called a trouble maker. Please guys, please please please take this seriously. Between my own experience where I was very lucking, though I have to lug oxygen around for the next two months, and the loss of a long-time bowling friend who as getting better when he suddenly crashed and died, I can tell you in all honesty, this virus cannot be taken too seriously... if you value your life and the lives of your loved ones.

Best wishes to you and your recovery! Very sorry to hear about your friend as well. My condolences.

There is someone on our league that is currently in the hospital with Covid, and also has other very severe health problems. We are very concerned for them as they have been in the hospital now for almost 2 weeks. Other bowlers at our center have also tested positive and have quarantined accordingly. However, just like in your experience I also think that our center is not taking all of the steps they should be, especially during the current surge in the virus. If they insist on staying open during a closure order, I believe they should be screening ALL patrons prior to entry and check temperature with a touchless thermometer. In addition, I also believe they should be enforcing masks at all times and not just while walking on the concourse. No spectators or non-bowling family members should be permitted on league nights. There should be masks at all times, even while bowling. They should also restrict eating and drinking, increase the amount of sanitizing wipes and hand cleaners, and clean high touch surfaces every 30 minutes (not wait until they get around to it.) The arcade and billiards hall both need to be closed, without another thought. They should also be putting at least one lane between bowlers, which they are only doing on senior leagues and open bowling. Normal adult leagues are business as usual, 2 teams per pair, with no empty lanes in between and very little enforcement of social distancing.

[RobLV1]

If you don't mind, I would like to take a few minutes to tell you some of the the things that I learned during my seven days in the hospital. First off, THERE IS NO WAY TO TREAT COVID! Every doctor I saw when I was first admitted said the same thing, "Your goal for the first five days is not to get better. It is to not get worse!" Covid is so deadly because it targets our weaknesses. In the case of one of my nurses who was infected in June and is in his early thirties, he had asthma as a child. Five months later he is still fighting to totally recover.

So, anyway, when you are admitted, they give you a therapeutic "cocktail" of medicines. This includes five days worth of Rendisivir, one dose of antibody containing plasma, daily antibiotics to prevent lung infections, daily steroids to cut down on inflammation, twice daily injections of Lasix to prevent water retention in the lungs, and twice daily injections of blood thinners to prevent blood clots in the lungs. Despite all of these therapeutic preventative measures, many people crash anyway and leave by the back door rather than the front. On my second day in the hospital my admitting doctor told me candidly that when I was admitted he thought that I would be on a ventilator within two days. Thankfully, he was wrong. In other cases, I heard about others who were doing better than me, who suddenly crashed and died.

With all of this now behind me, and the prospect of lugging oxygen around for the next two month, I can tell you that once you have experienced this, BOWLING DOESN'T MEAN SQUAT!!!

[Ryster]

...BOWLING DOESN'T MEAN SQUAT!!!

Unless bowling and/or the bowling industry is your main job this is always the case even in "good times".

Thanks for sharing what you went through, and based on that experience working towards recovering is the most important thing.

[J Anderson]

With all of this now behind me, and the prospect of lugging oxygen around for the next two month, I can tell you that once you have experienced this, BOWLING DOESN'T MEAN SQUAT!!!

It’s a shame that we seem to need a disaster that touches us personally to realize what is really important. Maybe some of us will learn from your experience without either being hospitalized or watching while a loved one is taken there. Thanks.

[jaypeesmith]

If you don't mind, I would like to take a few minutes to tell you some of the the things that I learned during my seven days in the hospital. First off, THERE IS NO WAY TO TREAT COVID! Every doctor I saw when I was first admitted said the same thing, "Your goal for the first five days is not to get better. It is to not get worse!" Covid is so deadly because it targets our weaknesses. In the case of one of my nurses who was infected in June and is in his early thirties, he had asthma as a child. Five months later he is still fighting to totally recover.

So, anyway, when you are admitted, they give you a therapeutic "cocktail" of medicines. This includes five days worth of Rendisivir, one dose of antibody containing plasma, daily antibiotics to prevent lung infections, daily steroids to cut down on inflammation, twice daily injections of Lasix to prevent water retention in the lungs, and twice daily injections of blood thinners to prevent blood clots in the lungs. Despite all of these therapeutic preventative measures, many people crash anyway and leave by the back door rather than the front. On my second day in the hospital my admitting doctor told me candidly that when I was admitted he thought that I would be on a ventilator within two days. Thankfully, he was wrong. In other cases, I heard about others who were doing better than me, who suddenly crashed and died.

With all of this now behind me, and the prospect of lugging oxygen around for the next two month, I can tell you that once you have experienced this, BOWLING DOESN'T MEAN SQUAT!!!

First of all, it is good to hear you are on the mend. So far, I have known two people (both family friends of my wife) who have died of COVID-19. With that being said, your story resonates with me because there is one house that I bowled in for the first time this year and they were VERY lax with the masking. The league on which I bowl is a couple's league and, within two league nights (every other week) my wife said she was out. I was going to quit, too. The league's compromise is that anyone who doesn't feel safe can pre-bowl, which is what we'll be doing from here on out, on afternoons or evenings where they are not crowded.

The other league I bowl on has taken a good number of precautions but, because we have a number of bowlers who contracted COVID, we shut down for three weeks.

In short, I am in total agreement with you. Unless someone can show me otherwise, being alive is pretty much still a requirement for being able to bowl. I love this sport but I love my family and breathing a whole lot more.

[GrumpyCatFace]

Not to sound insensitive, but if you’re that worried about the risk from bowling, then don’t bowl.

Why does everyone demand that the rest of the world change for them?

[RobLV1]

Not to sound insensitive, but if you’re that worried about the risk from bowling, then don’t bowl.

Why does everyone demand that the rest of the world change for them?

I'm not asking that anyone change for me. I'm asking that you all change for YOU! You can say "Not to sound insensitive," but that is exactly how you are sounding. I really hope that you don't end up finding out the hard way.