Rack ’em!: NY pool halls ordered shut can temporarily reopen, judge rules

Decision only applies to 16 businesses that sued to overturn pandemic-related closures

Brick House Billiards (Google Maps, iStock)
Brick House Billiards (Google Maps, iStock)

A judge ruled that 16 pool halls in New York state shuttered because of pandemic protocols can reopen. The decision came as part of a preliminary injunction connected to a lawsuit opposing the closures, Newsday reported.

The New York State Supreme Court judge’s decision will stand while the larger lawsuit is litigated.

The Jan. 15 ruling applies only to those 16 businesses — most of them in Manhattan with one in Upstate — that are part of the suit. They can operate under the state’s Phase 4 guidelines for indoor arts and entertainment venues, meaning they have to limit capacity to 25 percent.

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Pools halls were ordered shut when the coronavirus took hold. Similar businesses such as casinos and bowling alleys are open.

Though most of the pool halls that sued are in Manhattan, Brick House Billiards in North Syracuse is also a plaintiff. A final hearing has not been scheduled. [Newsday] — Dennis Lynch