Unbearable pressure on nightclub

The owner of a popular St Lawrence Gap nightclub wants clearer COVID-19 guidelines from authorities following the abrupt closure of his establishment early Sunday as a party was in full swing.

General Manager of the Cove Nightclub, Herman Maloney told Barbados TODAY that like many in the sector, his business is struggling to stay afloat amid the Coronavirus (COVID-19) situation, and could not afford the type of losses incurred as a result of such sudden closures.

In the wee hours of Sunday morning, the Cove became one of two South Coast establishments closed down by the COVID-19 Monitoring Unit, which was conducting routine checks.

Director of the Unit Ronald Chapman explained that the stringent measures were taken because a large number of young people were seen partying without masks in a confined space.

The club’s owner and general manager acknowledged that on the morning in question, the establishment had experienced one of its highest turnouts since restrictions were lifted, but they did not exceed the 500 outlined in the official guidelines. He added that all patrons were wearing masks when they entered.

“At this point, I would like to meet with the authorities if possible . . . because the patrons will have to take off their masks at some point to drink. Should patrons put them back on immediately? Some people do and some people don’t, but I would need a tremendous security present to ensure that every guy that buys a drink puts on a mask after each sip,” argued Maloney,

The longstanding industry player however admitted that as patrons became intoxicated, it became increasingly difficult to enforce physical distancing.

“I had the deejay on several occasions stop and ask the people to spread out. So we had a little problem there, but in my mind, I think that might have been the only slight breach, because I kept telling the young people not to congregate,” recalled Maloney.

But he did take issue with a demand from police officers that bar staff ought to wear both face shields and masks as government’s online protocols only state that staff “should” wear the former.

The nightclub is among numerous similar establishments that have been struggling to stay in business amid the pandemic. Last week, the equally popular McBride’s Night Club announced that it was closing its doors until further notice. Efforts to reach owner Peter Lauer were unsuccessful.

And, according to Maloney, the Cove, which employs up to 15 people on busy nights, is facing an equally uncertain future with mounting bills, dwindling income and stringent COVID-19 protocols.

“One banker asked me to give them a [financial] projection and I told him that not even the Prime Minister could give a projection about what will happen in Barbados right now. They’ve been lenient and they’ve come back in my favour, but the pressure that you have to go home and go to sleep with is unbearable.

“We are a big place, and even if we are allowed to accommodate 150 or 180 people, we could live with that, but there are no guidelines. When the fire department comes in to inspect, for example, they may tell us that we can have 400 people. And similarly, if the COVID people can conduct their measurements and say that we can only do 150 people, I could accept that, because I know my guidelines,” Maloney suggested.

(kareemsmith@barbadostoday.bb)