The New Order Of Nightlife After The #StayHome Order Is Lifted In The USA
When the #stayhome order is lifted and people are allowed to to back into bars and nightclubs, a lot of folks are expecting a stampede or something approaching the human version of a locust swarm.
And that may be the case initially, but barflies are going to have to adjust to some new rules, at least initially, as officials and people don’t want to create a second pandemic. There are also some serious challenges for the establishments, because they simply won’t be able to fling open the doors and be packed with customers as if it’s the Fourth of July.
Instead, here’s what to expect when bars and nightclubs open back up across the USA.
1.) What The Bars & Nightclubs Will Look Like In The Near Future
Getting into a bar may be like going to a grocery store. That means very limited capacity – a certainty – and when a place it at its limit, waiting in a line spaced six feet apart. The latter will be challenging for areas with a lot of bars and nightclubs because there’s only so much space on the sidewalk. Once inside, you are also likely to find fewer bartenders, barbacks and waiters/waitresses. It could take some time to get your drinks as a result.
2.) Opening & Closing Times
There is no way bars are going to be open like before; they are likely to have limited hours and some may only be open three to four days a week. Clubs – except in mega tourist areas like Las Vegas – are only going to be open on weekends.
3.) Social Distancing
You may be required to wear a mask. You may only be able to sit down and not stand up, wander around and mingle. And if you can’t stand up, wander around and mingle, then what’s the point of being in a bar in the first place?
4.) Singles Mingling?
This is the toughest question to answer until the bars are open again. What do single people do about mingling? Do they ignore the social distancing rule? And what happens if they do; will they get tossed or be able to continue their talks? Will potential partners even want to hook up right now, or after being secluded for so long will the guys be acting like soldiers returning home from a war? For all this, we’ll just have to see what happens when it happens (or doesn’t happen).
5.) The Bars & Nightclubs Will Struggle In The Short Term
Just because everyone can go out to the bars again doesn’t mean they will; certainly not like before the pandemic. For one thing, because just about everyone has been out of work, people simply won’t have the money to go out, at least for a while.
Conclusion
The nightlife scene as we’ve known it is going change and we barflies simply have to adapt to the rules. And those rules are going to vary from state to state, city by city and even bar by bar.
It may not be perfect, but it sure beats sitting at home.
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