Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) is warning people that they may have been exposed to COVID-19 if they visited Brandi’s Exotic Show Lounge earlier this week.
In an alert issued Saturday, VCH said that multiple people who’ve tested COVID-19 positive attended the strip club June 21, 22, 23 and 24, between 9 p.m. and 3 a.m. PT, as well as midnight to 3 a.m. on June 25.
There is no risk for people who attended the strip club outside of those time frames, while there isn’t an ongoing community risk either, said VCH.
People who did visit Brandi’s Exotic Show Lounge during those periods are being asked to monitor themselves for 14 days, and watch for symptoms such as loss of smell, fatigue, fever, cough, loss of appetite, malaise, sore throat, runny nose, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
“As long as they remain healthy and do not develop symptoms, there is no need to self-isolate and they should continue with their usual daily activities,” the health authority said.
If someone does develop COVID-19 symptoms, they should immediately self-isolate and call health authorities to organize a test for the respiratory virus.
Brandi’s will remain closed “due to some concerns from VCH,” according to its website. VCH has not specified if people who tested positive for COVID-19 contracted the virus at the strip club.
Brandi’s has been permitted to open under British Columbia’s Phase 2, which allowed businesses that serve liquor and food to reopen. According to CTV News, who received confirmation from WorkSafeBC, strip clubs need to follow protocols for performing arts and restaurant businesses.
All businesses have been required to develop a COVID-19 safety plan for hygiene protocols and physical distancing. It’s unclear at this moment what precautions have been taken by Brandi’s, since its COVID-19 safety plan has not been posted to its website, even though it’s mandatory under a B.C. public health order.
One strip club in Vancouver, No. 5 Orange, has gone on to install Plexiglass around the stage to protect dancers. Staff also scan IDs at the front door to help with contact tracing, according to the Vancouver Sun. No. 5 Orange’s safety plan has not been posted to its website.
According to CTV News, No. 5 Orange is concerned that Vancouver Coastal Health will start to limit the number of patrons to 50 people at a time, which is currently the amount allowed for a performance. Bars and restaurants are able to run at any capacity, just as long as a two-metre physical distance can be maintained between guests.
As of Friday, the Vancouver Coastal Health region has had 969 cases of COVID-19, which includes 826 recovered patients and 91 deaths. Updated statistics will be provided Monday.
