US Striptease Club Reopens; Wear A Mask, Take Off Clothes

JAKARTA - Striptease clubs in the United States (US) have reopened after the lockdown was relaxed. This place provides quite a lot of hand sanitizers and requires the dancers to wear masks.

The Den, in Cheyenne, Wyoming, was back up and running Friday night with a "put on a mask, take your shirt off" party - although owners admit this is a risky move.

Officials are giving the green light to reopen bars and restaurants across America under strict protocol, but Wyoming appears to be taking an even more liberal approach.

The state has recorded eight deaths from COVID-19 and there have been 754 confirmed cases, with 498 having recovered.

Dancers at The Den - some wearing bandanas and others wearing surgical masks - reportedly touched customers and exchanged physical money.

Club owner Kim Chavez told USA Today as quoted by The Sun, he was actually hesitant to reopen the club. However, he felt he had little choice as the adjacent regular bars would open - some of them at 9:00 p.m.

Meanwhile, the independent dancers who work at Chavez's clubs have been struggling to make a living, he said. Government support such as the Small Business Administration Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) does not apply to those working in adult businesses.

"We know that once our club closes, we screw up until we can open again," he said.

"If I got the PPP, I probably wouldn't open today. This is a risk we are taking.

"That's the hardest part of the cap: worrying about the girls (who work here)," he continued.

"It's heartbreaking because you know every girl's story."

The gradual reopening of US business and social life on Monday drew traction. So many Americans have emerged from the COVID-19 lockdown.

The pandemic has hit the United States more than any other country, with more than 1.5 million infected and nearly 90,000 deaths.