TUCSON, Ariz. — As restaurants and businesses open their doors there is a segment of the nightlife industry that is also back up and running. Christie’s Cabaret opened May 14th.
“People are happy to get out of their homes and be part of our society,” said General Manager Bill Martin.
Martin says they were not the first club to open back up in Tucson. They considered themselves good to go with stay-at-home orders being lifted and since they serve food. Martin says they are following social distancing guidelines. Employees and entertainers all wear masks and patrons can get one at the door free of charge.
“We moved our tables and chairs to give people adequate social distancing.”
You might wonder how social distancing works in the strip club setting. We asked if lap dances are still happening.
“Most customers aren’t interested in lap dances they want to adhere to social distancing as well,” replied Martin.
We asked if there was a policy around this and he said they can’t dance “face to face. He also said they must maintain social distancing during the dance.
Mayor Regina Romero’s spokesperson sent us a statement saying there is nothing in the governor’s order prohibiting these businesses and goes on to say that towns and cities have their hands tied from making any other measures.
There is nothing in the Governor's orders that prohibit them from operating. However, all establishments operating in Pima County should be operating in accordance with the relevant rules and regulations that the Pima County Board of Supervisors adopted last week, including social distancing requirements and occupancy limits. It should also be noted that the Governor essentially tied the hands of cities and towns in pre-empting them from enacting their own measures that conflict with his most recent Stay Healthy, Return Smarter, Return Stronger Executive Order.
While some might worry about a potential for spreading covid-19. For Martin, the reopening of strip club’s is a sign of progress.
“Arizona is on the right path being as strong and as good as it has ever been.”
