Hello again this is Dan with Des Moines Gaming Club. For today’s Tuesday Telecast we are going to go over the precautions we are taking so that we can have events and then eventually be open full time during this pandemic. First and foremost, we take Covid-19 very seriously and we have debated if we should even be attempting to host events right now. We keep our eyes on the numbers here in Polk county and we know they aren’t great. We also see positives out there like with the vaccines starting to roll out here in Iowa. Finally, we decided that we can’t just put our business on hold indefinitely since no one really knows when things will be “back to normal”. This may be the new normal, we just don’t know what the end goal looks like or when it will be achieved. So, we are moving forward with what we believe are the safest and strictest precautions we can take while still starting to provide gaming opportunities here in Des Moines.
Before we get into the actual precautions we are taking, I do just want to say for any gamers out there who are excited by what we are doing here but don’t feel that it is safe enough to come out. We understand completely that some people still do not feel that it is safe enough to go to social gatherings, no matter how small or how many precautions are in place. We will be doing some online events even though we are LAN center so that we can still get everyone involved in the club during this pandemic. This will also help mitigate how many in person events we are actually doing.
Alright, so firstly we will require masks be worn at all times in the club. The only exception would be if you are having a snack or a drink, in which case you will need to be 6ft. Apart or further from the nearest person. This is a strict policy and anyone who is seen not wearing their mask will be given a warning, and then the second time they will be asked to leave.
Our second precaution is that we will use a laser thermometer to take the temperature of everyone that comes into the space. Anyone with a fever of 100 degrees or higher will be sent home. We believe the taking of temperatures combined with masks being required will eliminate nearly 99% of the chance of a sickness being spread. We know this isn’t full proof, but it gets us pretty darn close.
We also have an ultra violet light wand that we will use to disinfect gear after every use. It will be used on controllers, keyboards, headsets, chairs, etc. In addition to this, we will of course have hand sanitizer available throughout our space.
Social distancing will be heavily encouraged and easily done. We have 1800 sq. ft dedicated to Des Moines Gaming Club here. Thankfully we have enough space to be able to spread out.
So there ya have it, we just wanted to let people know what we were doing in regards to Covid-19 here at the club. All of these precautions are in writing on our website. And of course we can’t wait till things “go back to normal” and social gatherings can be common place again, but until then we are more than happy and thankful to be able to start small with these precautions in place. It will allow us to really hone processes for the whole business so that when we can have bigger events, we will be ready. Thanks for watching and until next time, stay safe and happy gaming!