Every business on the planet has been affected by the global COVID-19 pandemic. Nightclubs and concert venues have had to completely rethink how they serve their patrons. After all, a room packed with people speaking over and dancing to loud music is a recipe for disaster right now. But the world moves along and people are craving the release of endorphins that comes from a great night of music. After staying at home for months on end, a concert to look forward to can be a light at the end of a tunnel.
But until COVID-19 is under control, we can’t party exactly how we used to just last year. At The Pourhouse, the safety of our team, our musicians, and our guests is our top priority. We want you to come back and have fun, but we don’t want to put you at risk. So here are some steps we are considering to make sure you get to come back as soon as possible.
COVID-19:Keeping Distant While Staying Social
Keeping six feet away from other people is one of the most important preventative measures everyone can take to keep safe from COVID-19. Reducing the number of people allowed indoors is the first step to ensure that distancing can be maintained during our concerts. Other possible steps that may be taken include limiting the number of people using elevators, reducing the number of available fixtures in restrooms to keep people apart, and encouraging “fan pods.” Pods are small groups of people that can remain close together while keeping distant from other groups.
Checking for Symptoms
In the past, it wouldn’t be rare to say to yourself, “I don’t have plans tonight, The Pourhouse always has great music. I’ll head over there tonight.” Nowadays, you need to take stock of what’s going on with your body first. If you have symptoms, you should stay home. If you don’t have symptoms, that’s great! But be prepared for a temperature check before you enter the venue. This simple step can help prevent someone who is just starting to show symptoms from coming in and making other people sick.
So Fresh and So Clean
The staff at The Pourhouse has always taken a lot of pride in the cleanliness of our place and we’ve redoubled our efforts now. Recognizing high traffic areas and “touchpoints” that see a lot of contact from patrons and staff is step one. We’re also looking at the top equipment and methods to sanitize crowd areas quickly and effectively between acts. That may include third party cleaners with fog sprayers among other options.
We are also looking at the safest ways to serve the drinks we love to make. Drinks that come in sealed containers and drinks that can be served in lidded glasses will be the norm for the foreseeable future. But our dedication to quality service and cocktails will continue no matter how we serve our drinks.
Every Night is a Masquerade
Even with temperature checks and cleaning and all the other steps being taken, it’s important that everyone wear masks just in case. Studies have shown that, when worn properly, masks greatly reduce transmission of COVID-19. So when you’re here, mask up. But just because you wear a mask over your mouth and nose doesn’t mean you can’t catch someone’s eye from across the room. It’s just one more chance to accessorize. That it helps keep everyone around safe is a big bonus.
Party Smartly
The future of COVID and concerts is up in the air right now. We want you to be able to cut loose safely and awesomely. So we are looking into every precaution we can take to make that happen. As of the writing of this post, we don’t have any events scheduled, but we are leaving no stone unturned to prepare ourselves for the safe return of live music to the Twin Cities. And when it comes back, we hope you will, too.