Crowded dance floors open in city

Clubs are allowing up to 300 people dance in close quarters with no masks

Nightclubs have topped the list for being one of the most dangerous places to be during the pandemic, but living up to its moniker of ‘pub city’, Bengaluru seems to have thrown caution to the wind.

Clubs and pubs have opened up over the last month and most have stuck to a ‘no dancefloor’ policy. DJs are playing and alcohol is being served but customers are confined to socially distanced tables ensuring low contact.

“I’ve been playing one gig a week, as opposed to five pre-pandemic. There is definitely a fear but this is our job and we have to find a way to work with it,” says DJ Martin Dsouza.

He has only played venues with sit down tables and says that he gets the safety precautions on email and goes above and beyond to follow all procedures.

But this doesn’t seem to be the case everywhere. Last week, pictures and videos emerged from inside of a popular club in Koramangala. The dance floor was packed with not a single person donning a mask in sight.

Munish Moudgil, the officer in charge of the state’s Covid war room, says that he isn’t aware if nightclubs are allowed to function in full swing. “It’s not just nightclubs. People don’t seem to be ready to take personal responsibility for their actions. Any place where there’s a congregation poses a risk,” he says.

Vijendra Bilaguli, Chief Health Officer, BBMP, says that clubs are allowed to open but the functioning of dance floors is a legal issue and he doesn’t know if they can function.

“They are responsible for maintaining the norms of social distancing,” he says. According to the MHA guidelines for Unlock 4, gatherings are allowed in closed spaces but with a ceiling of 200 people.

The guidelines also call for mask-wearing and social distancing to be enforced at all times.

When asked about safety precautions a representative from the club said that they were checking temperature and taking details of all those who enter.

“We have a capacity of 600 but we’re only letting in 300 people to ensure social distancing,” he says.

Club-goers are expected to keep their mask on until they enter and after they exit, but the rule is not enforced inside the club.