The Prime Social poker room in Houston has reopened even as Texas confirm 1,100 total deaths from COVID-19 and are getting hit with around a thousand new active cases daily.
Given the US’s shoddy testing systems these numbers are the tip of the iceberg, and it will only get worse as businesses like this flout social distancing guidelines in order to turn a profit in the hospitality and leisure sector.
The club has already been accused of money-laundering in a recent scandal. Although, the charges were dropped when the waters were muddied by various conflicts of interest.
The club are instituting a temperature check on entry, six-max seating arrangements, and enforcing mask wearing for all players.
This is security theatre by the cynical for the gullible.
Temperature checks do not help, as symptomless carriers can spread COVID-19, six max still does not respect the two metre rule, and masks are only partially effective at preventing spread – they will help in a short interaction at the supermarket, but won’t do much for sitting for hours across a small table from someone who will be touching your cards and chips for hours.
The club’s guidelines also reassure punters the club will be closed from 5 AM to 10 AM “for sanitation”. While the sacrifice of those key hours of high volume breakfast gambling is commendable, this only makes one wonder if that means they will be doing no cleanup during opening hours when it might make a difference to the spread of the virus.
Poker rooms should be the last places opening up after this pandemic. Prime Social has taken it upon themselves to be the first.