As lockdown eases further, some Escape Rooms have already started to open their doors, with others in close pursuit. But while businesses are eager to get back up and running again, there’s still a lot of concerns and uncertainty lingering across both staff and customers surrounding COVID-19 and the risk it continues to carry.
Reopening guidelines for Escape Rooms
In order to mitigate these concerns and reopen safely, you will need to make a number of changes to ensure the safety of your staff, customers and visitors. UK Hospitality has recently posted working guidelines to help Escape Room owners reopen, including secure advice and risk assessments. This will be kept updated as further developments unfold.
This includes best practice for:
- Test and Trace
- Risk Assessments
- Cleaning Regimes
- Customer Journey & Airflow
- Staff and Workplace Safety
Read UK Hospitality’s Escape Room Reopening Guidelines
(Link https://www.ukhospitality.org.uk/general/custom.asp?page=COVID19SecureGuidelines-EscapeRooms)
Thinking outside of the box
As puzzle aficionados, Escape Rooms owners will have no trouble thinking outside of the box when it comes to adapting your business model to suit the new climate that we live in. Already we have seen people taking their Escape Rooms virtual over the last few months, an approach which not only lends itself to social distancing but also allows for many more players to join.
Think about what changes you can make to your Escape Room to help keep your staff and customers safe.
From tactical staggering of sessions so your players don’t cross paths, to finding ways to incorporate social distancing within the rooms themselves, there’s plenty of small things you can implement that will make a big difference. Perhaps you could tweak the theme of a room to incorporate the wearing of masks, to better help immerse players despite the requirement for PPE?
Keep air circulating
While the risk of spreading the coronavirus infection increases when indoors, this risk can be reduced if you ensure good air flow throughout your rooms, keeping windows open where possible.
Set your expectations
Before your players enter your premises, ensure that they are aware of what they need to do in order to keep both themselves and your staff safe. You may want to implement a ‘no mask – no entry’ policy and ask them to ring ahead before they arrive. Ensure to clearly mark out social distancing boundaries and try to put up physical barriers between Games Masters and your customers. Again, this doesn’t necessarily need to be a hindrance on the experience of your business – you simply need to think of ways to incorporate this into the narrative of the room.
Make sure that you have facilities in place for players to sanitise their hands, whether this is a handwashing station or hand sanitisers placed strategically around the building. Ensure to put up clear signage which reminds staff and players to regularly clean their hands and remain aware of boundaries.
Don’t panic
As you make changes to your Escape Room business, it’s crucial to check that your existing insurance is still fit for purpose. At The Insurance Centre, our Escape Room Insurance specialists can help review your cover and suggest any changes you could make in clear and simple terms.
While no one can be sure of what the future holds, with the right protection in place you can better safeguard your business against this uncertainty.
To find out more and to book your Escape Room Insurance review, get in touch today.
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