Lifestyle

7 Tips To Keep Your Venue Covid-Secure

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Just like nobody is allowed to mention Macbeth in a theater, nobody wants to mention the Omicron variant in the midst of the covid-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, superstition can’t protect us. The latest coronavirus variant has found its way through most countries around the world, covering already one-third of the US states shortly after being identified. As a result, venues need to consider the best approaches in order to maintain a covid-secure and customer-friendly environment. 

After almost two years of pandemic, people are experiencing mask fatigue and frustration. However, now’s not the time to introduce laxity. Discipline, organization, and smart innovative solutions are the best strategy to make retail stores, restaurants, and entertainment venues safe and welcoming for all. 

Make it easy for your customers to stay safe

Hand sanitizers are going nowhere. Every venue should have plenty of hand sanitizing options for their customers. Most people are now familiar with hand sanitizers, and many carry their own bottles in a handbag. However, for simplicity, venues should aim to provide free solutions distributed at the entrance through a self-serving mechanism. It’s important to choose a product that will:

  • Dry rapidly once applied to the hand;
  • Not leave a sticky sensation;
  • Be gentle for the skin;
  • Smell neutral or have a pleasant smell; 
  • Fight off germs effectively. 

Additionally, the presence of markings on the floor remains essential to help guide visitors and reduce physical contact. Markings can help organize queues, visit directions, and provide additional guidance to find restrooms, information desks, or even the main attraction. 

Dedicated cleaning strategy

Cleaning is instrumental in keeping your venue covid-secure. However, the covid-19 virus is an airborne virus transmitted through droplets of moisture. Therefore, your cleaning team needs to target contaminated droplets that have fallen onto surfaces and those that still linger in the air. 

Traditional chemical cleaning products can help keep surfaces clean and safe. However, they are ineffective for air particles. That’s why switching to fumigation techniques can be a good idea. Different solutions are available, such as electrostatic commercial cleaning, which applies a small electrical charge through the nozzle of an aerosol. The droplets adhere to surfaces and make sanitizing easier. Alternatively, a fogger passes a liquid solution through a fan to create a mist for small rooms sanitizing. In healthcare environments, you may need to use a vaporizer behind a sealed door to disinfect with hydrogen peroxide solutions. 

Depending on your venue, you may need to clean more frequently. For instance, escape room venues, which welcome visitors for a short period, will need to disinfect their rooms after each visit. Stores can only disinfect once a day. Restaurants can sanitize after each meal service. 

Bring engagement through digital tech

Venues need to maintain excitement levels of engagement for their visitors. When the pandemic is still a reality, venues need to work harder to attract visitors and maintain safety at the same time. That’s precisely where digital technology can help provide additional services and information to your visitors while reducing physical contact. Some of the best use of digital technology include: 

  • Augmented reality display in museums, but also in hardware stores, real estate agencies, and other venues where visitors may want to interact with a vast quantity of information about a single article, 
  • QR codes on tables in restaurants, coffee shops, and bars to organize orders from the table. This can reduce exposure to germs for the waiting staff. 
  • QR codes for in-shop orders for retail stores, so people can scan and pay directly from their phones. 

Make contactless payments easier

Making contactless payments available in-store can make a huge difference to spreading rates. Indeed, banknotes and coins can carry potential germs. Additionally, if customers need to hand their bank cards to the store assistant for payment, they could share germs. Contactless payments can keep risks low. These could include Apple Pay options, Paypal sign-up, and tap-to-pay methods. Some ventures are also using cryptocurrency payments. 

Make it up to your customers

Most individuals have been wearing masks and taking COVID-19 measures for the best part of the last two years. It can be mentally draining. As a result, many individuals avoid venues to reduce discomfort. Unfortunately, as risks remain high, venues can’t ditch masks and social distancing. However, you can introduce a friendly approach to help your visitors remain patient and stick to the rules. 

Thank-you signs can already make a big difference, as visitors feel valued and respected. Alternatively, venues can also introduce a freebie, such as a sweet treat or a discount as a thank-you. 

Have a CCTV check at the entrance

Wearing a mask is one way to reduce the risks of spreading. However, not everyone is comfortable wearing a mask. Essential venues such as grocery stores can introduce a separate queue for individuals who can’t wear masks. These can pick up their shopping on the outside, for example. The CCTV system can identify people with no mask and help redirect them accordingly. 

Additionally, some CCTV systems also have a thermal imaging function, which can show people with a high temperature. Individuals with fever could also be redirected on the outside, where they can collect their shopping safely. 

Add a soothing environment

Masks, covid tests, and health regulations can be stressful. So, venues want to create a relaxing and calm environment for visitors. Creating spacious routes indoor for visitors can help maintain social distancing comfortably inside the venue. It can be a good idea to introduce rest areas with freshwater, such as seats and a water dispenser in large malls and theaters. 

A relaxing musical background can also influence the mood indoors. Classical music and quiet instrumental pieces are some of the best choices for relaxation. While it might be tempting to play songs, these tend to be played louder, which can lead to increased stress levels. 

Lastly, venues can make it easy to cancel bookings in restaurants, hotels, or cinemas for vulnerable visitors. At a time when covid risks are high, it is unfair to force people to attend or lose booking money. 

Is your venue covid-secure to face the Omicron challenge? While sanitizing and social distancing procedures are well established, it becomes essential for venues to introduce customer-friendly solutions. 

 

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