Clubs fear worst amidst Omicron

The expeditious nature of the spread of the Omicron variant in the nation lately has sent government officials and businessmen scrambling at measures and protocols to combat a spread trend that looks eerily similar to the one seen a year ago, the first onset of the virus that prompted a nationwide lockdown.

With buzz around the valley all pointing to an impending lockdown, businesses fear the worst. Having to shut down their entire source of livelihood would have a detrimental impact on these businesses, barely making it back after navigating the tough waters that was the first lockdown. One such business severely impacted by the initial shutdown, and bearing a cautious apprehension over the next one, is the clubbing and bar scene within the valley. The clubs that mostly come alive come nightfall in the valley, it goes without saying, exclusively depend upon the influx of people, in large numbers at that, into their clubs; party-goers purchasing tickets, booze and everything they could desire for is how the clubs generate their revenue to stay afloat. A lack thereof would lead to these businesses entering a precarious state economically.

“The government before taking any drastic action needs to first understand the plight of us businessmen, by this we don’t mean not to prioritize the safety of the people but to find and devise means and measures through which the spread of the virus can be controlled and our businesses can stay afloat hand-in-hand.”, says a concerned Milan Shrestha, owner of Club Fahrenheit. “We’d be happy to comply with any rules set in place as long as it means we have a source to keep our staff paid and business afloat, now may that be through vaccine passports or stricter sanitation measures, we’re ready for it” he affirmatively adds.

“We’ve made vaccination cards as an entry requirement for the club, it was what the time called for and frankly it’s the right thing to do. We’ve also partnered with more sanitization companies in order to improve the hygiene within the club and establish stricter protocols when within the premises”, assures Rabin Shrestha Owner of Lord of the Drinks(L.O.D). Many clubs like L.O.D and Club Fahrenheit have expressed their willingness to comply with stricter regulations and work in benefit of the health and safety of its customers as they must.

Similarly Club Platinum too agree with its fellow compatriots in its thoughts on lockdown and safety measure, in conversation with the Deepesh Shrestha, owner of Club Platinum, mentions how the club had made vaccination cards a necessity ever since its opening, “Vaccination cards were always mandatory post-lockdown, we’ve also ensure that all our staff are vaccinated and perform regular checks on our sanitation protocols, we can only hope the government trusts our businesses to take proper measures and allow the businesses to continue running.”

While Club Sugar plans to go one step further along with the need for vaccination cards and safety protocols they also are planning to limit the number of people who are allowed to enter the club at any given time, mentions the manager of Club Sugar.

With increasing cases, one can only hope for plans and policies from the authorities that encapsulate the health and business priorities accordingly. Controlling the spread while allowing the people’s source of income to remain is the sweet spot the policymakers must look to be at.