SAN DIEGO – Amid rising COVID-19 case numbers, a San Diego nightclub is sharing its reaction as well as how they’re preparing for any possible changes in the future.
“We’re still cautious that it’s not over yet,” said Feliciano Pemba, lead VIP host at Parq Restaurant and Nightclub. “We’re still mindful and keeping track of what the numbers are.”
As Parq Nightclub in downtown passes the one month mark of finally being open, San Diego County officials reported a five-month high Friday in COVID-19 cases.
In the last month, the local health and human services agency says the overwhelming majority of cases and hospitalizations involved those not fully vaccinated.
“Right now, we feel comfortable enough to have doors open — just for the simple fact that people have the option of being vaccinated,” Pemba said. “For the crowd that’s usually out when it comes to nightlife, typically an active, healthy, and younger crowd — so we are hoping that that’s enough, but we’ll see.”
Parq doesn’t mandate employees or guests to prove vaccination status, and current California guidelines allow them to be open with no capacity restrictions. However, they’re prepared to adjust as needed should guidelines change.
“If we need to lower capacity, maybe spread out the tables a little bit farther,” said Caleb Singleton, VIP operations manager for Parq. “Obviously make everyone’s night safe and most enjoyable as possible, that’s our number one priority.”
So far the nightclub says it has not experienced any COVID-19 outbreaks among staff or guests in the last month of being open and they are keeping a close eye on anything they might need to do to avoid another closure.
“With the mask mandate up in LA being brought back, we do kind of assume it could happen here,” Singleton said. “If we do have to bring the mask mandate back, we are prepared to do so.”
Parq’s staff say they have weekly meetings to stay on top of information coming from state and county leaders and are prepared to adjust their operations as needed.