A snapshot to what post Covid-19 clubs and events could look like.

Written by Gene Convery.

I am standing in a line that I have stood in many times before and while it is very familiar, it is also very different. I am standing in a marked out 1 square meter box, as are the people in front of me and behind me as far as I can see, everyone moves one square forward at a time as we shuffle closer to the clubs front door. I am told to stand behind a line and hand my ID to the first security guard to check, he is wearing rubber gloves that he is changing so often and he is wearing a mask, which makes this security guard scarier than normal.

He waves me past and into the next section where I would normally be greeted by a smiling door host who would take my name and my money before showing me to the front door. This time I am directed to the ticket window where she is sitting behind glass wearing a mask and gloves. I give my name and pay, which must be done by pay wave/card along with my phone number and email so the venue can contact me if there is a report case that is tracked back to the venue. I am told to move to the next section where I am told to sanitise my hands, they take my temperature and I am instructed to read the new rules of the venue on the door while the security guard waves a metal detector over me.

The rules are what we have all been doing for the last few months, keeping 1.5m from others, wear a mask and gloves when possible, clean hands often, no touching and if you are feeling unwell you must leave the venue immediately and notify staff otherwise you could face penalties.

I walk in and while I am excited to be out and about again, it seems very different, there is the same 1 square metre box on the floor everywhere. In front of the DJ Booth, The dance floor and the bar, the bar has marked out service lanes, the bar staff have gloves and masks on and there is a stack of boxes of gloves and masks behind the bar, as the staff are changing their gloves after every customer. Bar service is an awkward dance of the customer moving forward to give the order then stepping back before the bar staff member makes the drinks and puts them on the bar and steps back for the customer to step forward, pay by card and take the drinks.

As I walk past the bar and into the main room I notice hand sanitiser bolted to the walls all over the venue. Security are walking around keeping an eye on peoples distance while trying to maintain order in the venue. I see a friend who I have not seen since pre lockdown and give him a hug only to be told by security to break it up, which makes things really awkward as people start looking at us like criminals. I look over the main dance floor which would normally be full of dancing, happy people who have come for a night out to escape for a night. Tonight is no normal night, and instead of a full dance floor I see around 20 people all dancing “alone” in the middle of their own private 1 meter square box.

The above is a snapshot of what going to a club or event could look like in a post COVID world according to The Event Safety Alliance (see link below). At this very moment, several Las Vegas clubs are looking to implement these strategies in order to open their venues again. If I am speaking honestly, I don’t know what the answer is here, while I want to go to events, host events and see my friends, I think public safety has to be our number 1 priority and if we look at what just happened in South Korea when they opened clubs, we could be taking 1 step forward to 3 steps back.

I would love to hear your thoughts, would you go to an event this year “if allowed” or are you waiting for a vaccine?

A copy of The Event Safety Alliance Reopening Guide can be found here.