'No Surrender' Fresno location reopens for first time in 4 months

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- A Fresno indoor playground, complete with a bounce house and ball pit, has re-opened to the public.

The defiant move flies in the face of the state's COVID-19 reopening guidelines businesses must follow.

People lined up to get back inside "No Surrender" in southeast Fresno for the first time in four months.

General Manager Rick Souza understood the re-opening could lead to repercussions.

Souza said, "I would assume the city would be by to see how things are going and talk to us. Probably to get us to close."

But the city didn't plan to issue any fines at this point, even though Fresno County remained in the Purple tier and indoor playgrounds weren't allowed to open yet.

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Fresno City Council member Luis Chavez said, "Obviously that would not be permitted under the state guideline, but they've gotten pretty creative with their model and they are implementing a daycare virtual learning option."

"No Surrender" staff sanitized equipment and took the temperature of visitors.

Souza was looking into offering internet and tutoring if that can help keep the center open.

He said, "It was a tough choice to either open up for our friends, family and community or we had to close the doors forever."

Chavez said Code Enforcement wasn't needed in this case because he did not see an egregious disregard for safety.

He wondered, "Do we want to penalize folks for just wanting to work and provide a living? I'm certainly not comfortable in that situation.."

But "No Surrender" jumped the gun by reopening before getting a response to a letter it sent to the city.

Fresno County Health Officer Dr. Rais Vohra said, "Family entertainment centers, if that's what they're doing, have to stay closed. There may be a way if they are providing some other service that's considered more essential that we could allow them to operate."

Both the county and city planned to take a closer look at the company's proposal.