After more than a year of restriction, the night owls will be able to dance and play karaoke again from November 15. A decision hailed by the bar scene, especially since it comes a few weeks before parties of Christmas.
“November is the month when people reserve for their party Office. Except that there were still a lot of irritants for the groups. There, now, knowing that they will be able to sing and dance, people will come back ”, bet Renaud Poulin, president of the Corporation of the owners of bars, breweries and taverns of Quebec (CPBBT). He now expects an “almost normal” season for the parties office compared to the pre-pandemic period.
The president of Nouvelle association des bars du Québec, Pierre Thibault is also overflowing with optimism following this announcement, which had been demanded for several weeks by the various players in the nightlife. Especially since the financial aid intended for them was destined to disappear soon.
“The government finally understood that partyPrivate s are much more dangerous from a public health point of view than nightclubs, rejoices Mr. Thibault. I now expect a very strong response from customers, because even people who no longer go out are now telling us that they can’t wait to come and dance. “
Endless wait
Despite the various phases of deconfinement, the dance floors had been closed since the very start of the pandemic, more than a year and a half ago. Quebec was even in the last few weeks one of the last places in the world that still prohibited swinging in a nightclub.
Karaoke fans, for their part, had at least had the chance to push the note between the first and the second wave, in the summer of 2020. An outbreak of importance following an evening of karaoke in a bar in Quebec, however, urged public health to ban this activity for more than a year.
“We karaoke, it was 7 days a week. Without that, it’s a loss of $ 1,500 to $ 2,000 a day. So of course we are very happy, ”illustrates Pascal Lefebvre, owner of Normandie, the Mecca of amateur singers in Montreal.
Mask required
Although most restrictions will be lifted from November 15 in bars, a few instructions will still remain in place. It was also specified that wearing a mask will be required on the dance floor. Officially at least.
“If we have to wear it, we will do it […] But it may be as applied as at the Bell Center, “believes Mathieu Grondin, director of MTL 24/24, referring to the show of pop stars Enrique Iglesias and Ricky Martin last month, during which a good part of the spectators have removed their face coverings despite the settlement.
In any case, even before Tuesday’s announcement, several bars already unofficially allowed dancing in their establishment, without a mask.
“The echoes I have is that it is already dancing everywhere. It starts between the tables and quickly spreads across the bar. Today’s announcement at least gives permission to do it to those who respected the rules, ”drops Renaud Poulin of the CPBBT.