“Mannequin Challenge Activated!”, Netizens Are Bewildered By ‘No Dancing’ Rule as Nightclubs Reopens This Week

By Lara Kramer  •  10 May 2022 in News

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After two long years of hiatus, nightclubs are finally back and will reopen this Sunday(May 15) – but before you get your groove on, dancing may not be permitted just yet!

Funnily enough, business leaders argue that this step may be the best thing for the enfeebled nightlife sector.

While restrictions and guidelines for the safe reopening have yet to be published, those in the industry who claim to have met with the health ministry say partygoers can anticipate a “no dancing, no close contact” principle.

“The probable SOPs are that there will be no dancing and that we may have to enact crowd control to ensure that it doesn’t get too packed. We don’t want any sudden spikes that could result in club closures again,” said David Gurupatham, co-founder of the trade coalition Industries Unite.

The government had previously stated along with other SOPs, that the other establishments on the National Security Council’s negative list, namely clubs and bars, will be authorised to reopen on May 15.

Gurupatham also asserted that the secure revival of clubs would provide stable employment for approximate 150,000 to 250,000 employees who had been out of work for two years.

Jeremy Lim, vice-president of the Restaurant and Bistro Owners Association, told reporters he would have no objections if the SOPs would include a prohibition on dancing.

Nevertheless, certain tipping points could be conducted to determine when dancing could be permitted, such as a decline in the Covid-19 transmissibility rate or the hospitalisation rate.

“How long will there be no dancing? And what are the specifications for dancing to be legally allowed?” Lim inquired while urging the government to inform citizens and club owners of the goalposts.

The vice-president also stated that club owners should not whine and moan about being pressured to adopt capacity limits because the Covid-19 situation is still incredibly unpredictable.

“As a business owner, volume restrictions would be a lost opportunity. But this must be structured against our duties towards public health,” he says.

Netizens, who had rejoiced with the possibilities of visiting their favourite haunts once again, were slightly downed by the matter. Many took to Twitter to express their innermost reactions to multiple variations, mostly sharing laughs with one another. (Laughter conceals the pain, right?)

…And our personal favourite:

All jokes aside, we hope you party people will stay safe while we slowly transition back to an era of twerking and gyrating on the dance floor.