Coronavirus: Clubbers face restricted dancefloor numbers and face masks
24 August 2020, 12:10
Club-goers may face restricted entries to dancefloors and be asked to wear face masks for venues to safely reopen, it has been suggested.
The Night Time Industries Association has said there is a "strong argument" for the safe reopening of clubs and other late night venues amid the coronavirus pandemic as it warned against leaving the sector to "collapse".
The industry has reached a "critical point" with an "absence of a clear reopening strategy from the government," said Michael Kill, the association's chief executive, who warned that thousands of jobs were at risk.
He added: "The report we have launched today clearly shows that there is a case for the safe reopening of night-time leisure venues, including nightclubs, late night bars, live music venues and event spaces.
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"Whilst many of these are large capacity venues, it is important to note that they already have many of the safety protocols in place to mitigate the spread of Covid-19.
"We implore the government to give us the opportunity to reopen in a safe, risk-assessed way."
Among the measures listed in report, which is supported by the Institute of Occupational Medicine, are temperature checks for clubbers on arrival, along with restricted numbers on the dancefloor and mandatory face coverings.
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It comes after the association said last week that three out of five businesses could go bust by next month due to the pandemic restrictions.
As a result, the report has argued a case for reopening venues with strict controls "bearing in mind the behaviour we are witnessing in unregulated environments such as beaches, parks and raves".
It added: "Whilst there are some areas of increased risks over other sectors there are many real benefits that such businesses have over other sectors, particularly as all our venues have security to give 100% cover of matters such as temperature checks, track and trace, and keeping customer behaviour in check."
