Covid takes center stage – Santa Monica Daily Press

Kailyn Forbes story

Southern California is no stranger to roller coasters, in fact it is the bedrock of our tourist economy, but while a thrilling ride with its whiplash turns and crashes to hit you stomach ache can be fun, local businesses would like to disembark from the carnival economy that was the Covid-19 pandemic.

The last sharp turning point came this month with the reimposition of mask mandates for internal activity. While Los Angeles County was the first to step up, other areas with an increase in cases of Delta variants followed suit and the Centers for Disease Control ultimately recommended similar rules nationwide. depending on the number of local cases.

While the new rules do not restrict companies’ capacity, there are concerns that the mandate may have an impact on what has been a strong economic recovery so far.

Consumer confidence is at its highest level since the pandemic struck in March 2020, a major reason retail sales remain strong as Americans shift spending toward services, dining out and travel. by plane to entertainment events and shopping sprees.

Yet overlooking the rosy economic forecast, there is the possibility of a resurgence of the coronavirus in the form of the highly contagious delta variant. The United States now has an average of more than 60,000 new confirmed cases a day, down from just 12,000 a month ago. If an increase in viral infections caused many consumers to fall back and cut spending, it would weaken the recovery.

Several local event venues said they tried to keep their heads above water, even when their face was covered.

I think in the short term we need to be comfortable either asking people for proof of immunization status and then denying them entry, or we need to be able to force people to wear masks in venues. live events that aren’t outside, said Daniel Tamayo of the new Broadway Comedy Club, which will soon open. I think everyone likes to use the phrase, follow the science. I am literally happy to follow the LA County and State of California Mandates because they are the ones who will keep my audience safe.

Damian Anastasio of Harvelles Music Club said the reopening was an uphill battle, but one that received tremendous support from enthusiastic customers.

We were very happy to get back to work after so much free time, he said. It was pretty brutal going through this with no income, so it was really difficult. So it was really nice to get back to work and we burst open and every night it was like New Years Eve.

He said staffing the venue had been a challenge with the two business partners covering almost every aspect of the club for the first few weeks and while the new mask mandates are less than ideal, he doesn’t see them scaling back. the desire for live performances.

You know, we were doing everything we could to comply by requiring the staff to wear masks. When the entertainment comes off the stage they have to put on a mask, when people come in they have to wear a mask, but as a club we think it is not a smart decision on the part of the city, a he declared. I understand what cities are trying to do, but for us it doesn’t really make sense.

Despite his initial hesitation about using masks at the club, Damian said business was doing well.

Has the mandate affected our business? Minimal at best, said Damian.

When they lifted the restrictions it was like flipping a switch, we went from zero to ninety in the blink of an eye.

The new mask rules are driven by the ability of the latest strain of virus to spread. The delta variant was first detected in India, but has now been identified worldwide. Last week, U.S. health officials said the variant accounted for about 83% of COVID-19 cases in the United States, and noted a 32% increase in hospitalizations for COVID from the previous week.

The growing number of cases has limited the ability of entertainment venues to re-attract all of their customers and continue their economic recovery. Some companies had chosen to keep more stringent Covid protocols even before the Delta surge.

Prior to the July 17 tenure, Evelyn Rudie, co-artistic director of the Santa Monica Playhouse, was already demanding masks indoors. So between June 15 and July 17, nothing changed for us, she says. We also ask everyone to disinfect their hands before entering. While they don’t need to be six feet or even three feet apart, we don’t mingle, serve food or drink, and none of our shows have an intermission.

She said the theater hopes the ongoing protocols won’t be necessary in the long run, but are prepared to keep them in place to stay open.

I was hoping that at the end of November, beginning of December, things would have calmed down again but it’s so impossible to say with the variants and with the numbers and other countries, she said. So we were trying to be careful so we have plans for both. If we can get back to normal, fine. Otherwise it won’t be a big deal for us and none of our customers have complained.

While the federal government said this week it would maintain existing COVID-19 restrictions on international travel for now amid concerns over the rising infection rate, Tamayo said he remained hopeful. a more robust vaccination policy that will allow tourism to return in the near future.

I really hope we were able to reach a vaccination point for tourists entering the LA County area which basically means we no longer need a mask warrant and we no longer need to put COVID protocols in place, Tamayo said.

He said he hoped the virus could be tamed to the point of being little more than an inconvenience like the common cold.

We look forward to being a part of the entertainment and nightlife in Santa Monica Town, Tamayo said. I was really looking forward to being open and welcoming the audience in an indoor room because if you look around at night there are people who wander around doing nothing, all wondering if there anything to do in downtown Santa Monica other than eat and drink? Yes, were opening a comedy club for this reason.

Anastasio is also delighted to overtake the current wave and provide a much needed lightness to the city.

I hope, you know, personally, that I can’t speak for my business partners, but I just wish everyone would get vaccinated and get past this COVID and move on, Anastasio said. I think we as a society have to come together. As a club, we were going to continue to book groups and serve drinks, and try to bring joy to everyone’s life. This is what we do.