Little bit of background info; I used to regularly attend two local game stores, which I will be calling The Krusty Krab and Bob's Burgers for the rest of this discussion. The Krusty Krab opened up their play space about a month ago, and most people weren't going. They were less cautious about reopening than most of us wanted. Bob's Burgers is going to open up in about a week or two, and they are being much safer, so now my playgroup (of 25+ people by the way) had decided to come out of their hidey-holes. I want to help with the safety aspect of their re-opening, so I decided to look up what other LGSs have done.
Ho.
Ly. FUCK! What is wrong with some of these places? How hard is it to have simple safety measures? It makes me angry!I thought that the Krusty Krab had some pretty shaky practices, until I did some reading. They're actually not that bad. So I'm going to have go over some safety measures for when your LGS opens up. I'm probably also going to be using more profanity than I usually do to get my point across. Golden rule right now: If you have any doubts about your LGS,
don't go. Every risk we take puts more than just ourselves in danger. Your safety and the safety of your family/friends is more important than a card game. Hell, communicate with your LGS about reopening. Bob's Burgers is involving their player-base in the reopening process, which is making everyone more comfortable.
Now let's go over some important points.
Wear a maskA lot of places are enforcing mandatory mask rules. This could be a by-law or store policy. In either case, only go to a store that enforces the mask rule. I've read up on places that will let you in if you're wearing a mask, but you don't need to keep it on in the store. That's stupid, wear the mask all the time. Keep in mind that legislations have mask exemptions for certain people. These often include:
- Young children
- People with physical deformities that are unable to wear a mask properly
- People with mental disabilities, where their caregiver is unable to convince them to keep a mask on
- People with a breathing apparatus that are unable to wear a mask properly
Be sure to check your local laws. Face shields are also an option, but be warned; not all by-laws allow face shields, and they are not as good as a mask, so be sure to stay 2 meters (~6 feet) away from other people. When wearing a mask, it needs to cover your mouth and nose. Don't wear it like a chin-strap, don't wear it with your nose sticking out. If it's a disposable mask, the wire is supposed to rest on the bridge of your nose, and you bend it to conform to the shape of your face, to ensure no large gaps.
If you have a fabric mask, make sure that it stops forward air travel. A lot of home-made masks don't do this. To test, you can light a candle, hold it out about 30 cm in front of you while wearing the mask, and try to blow it out. If the flame flickers, there is forward airflow with the mask. You can fix this by cutting and placing a sheet of paper in the mask to make a barrier. A proper mask would be best, but this is also enough.
The mask is very important. Covid-19 can hide in your system for a few days before you show symptoms. You are still contagious during this time. The mask will protect the people around you. Because game stores will often have confined spaces, it isn't always feasible to stay 2 meters away at all times, and you're most definitely going to be within 2 meters of each other when sitting down at a table. Please, for the safety of those around you, wear a mask.
Physical BarriersBy now you should be used to seeing plexiglas barriers around cash registers. See if your LGS will set up something like that at the game tables. This won't be fully necessary if you're already following the mask rule, but it does prevent something else that you shouldn't do; touch other people's cards. Covid-19 lasts for about 3 days on plastics and 5 days on paper (NOTE: as more research comes out, these numbers will change. We may find out later that the disease can last even longer on cardstock or sleeves). A physical barrier will stop you from instinctively reaching out as you say "What's that card?" If you're unfamiliar with a card, ask the person to read it out.
The Krusty Krab had plexiglas barriers before they enforced mask rules (by-law made it mandatory). Their barriers weren't perfect, as they still had two people sitting next to each other on each side of the table. Bob's Burgers is going to have round tables with the barriers in an "X"
formation, where each player gets their own isolated corner. We will still be able to see everyone's boardstates.
Washing hands and using glovesWash your hands with soap after touching a commonly touched surface, or right before eating (more on that later). Wash the palm of your hands, between your fingers, back of hands, back of fingers, thumbs, wrist, and fingernails. Actually, best to just clip your fingernails ahead of time (do not bite them off, you animal. Dirt and viruses can get under them). Hand sanitizer is good too, as long as it is at least 60% ethyl alcohol. Do not use methanol-based hand sanitizers. That shit is hazardous to human health and I have no idea why they exist. Also, after washing your hands, put some hand cream on. Dry and cracked skin can also be an entry point for the virus.
I recommend wearing gloves if you have cuts or open wounds on your hands. Otherwise you can wear gloves so long as you don't touch your face. Gloves are supposed to be used for when you're touching a potentially contaminated surface, and then you take them off immediately when you're done. If you don't have cuts or wounds on your hands, hand washing is good enough.
Limited AttendanceDifferent cities have different regulations on how many people are allowed in a public space at once. Some places don't have limitations in place, which is scary in it's own right. Bob's Burgers is going to limit 8 people at once, and only have two nights for events (one for Commander, one for Warhammer 40k). The Krusty Krab is following local laws and allows up to 30 people at once. I
wonder, do they know that limit is for grocery stores? I'm trying to talk them into reducing the limit. Less people means less avenues for this virus to spread. A lot of the places I've seen are not opening their play space during store hours, but instead doing after-hour events. It makes sanitizing the store easier, and the store employees can monitor the players without having to also watch a cash register. As a result of Bob's Burgers only allowing 8 people, they are implementing a sign-up sheet for the events. You're only allowed access if you're on the sheet. While this will be frustrating, and require a huge logistical effort, it will be worth it if someone does in-fact catch the virus. Limited attendance limits the spread.
Deck choicesMaybe don't use a deck that requires you to touch other people's cards, or require them to touch your cards. Best to leave
Yasova Dragonclaw and
Mindslaver at home. Don't use
Aminatou, the Fateshifter's last ability.
Praetor's Grasp will have to sit these games out. I'm trying to figure out a way to play
Haldan+
Pako without having to touch anyone's cards. I'll post later if I figure something out. Some cards you might be able to get away with. Like with
Gitaxian Probe you can get the other players to just look away for a second.
Bribery can work if you already know what creature you're going to get. If you can come up with creative solutions, go for it. Just remember that having fun is your second priority.
Trading cardsIf it's a trade you agreed on ahead of time and it will be a quick swap, go for it. Just wash your hands immediately after. Avoid browsing through trade binders. Find a better way. I've started using my Deckstats collection as a digital trade binder, so I just send someone the link and get them to look through that way. Best to save trades for the end of the night, to limit the spread. I've been doing trades with friends, but the cards stay in an isolated place for at least a week.
Food breaksWash your hands before eating. Don't eat inside, I'm sure there is a curb you can sit on. You obviously can't wear a mask while eating, so keep your distance from others. Don't share food with anyone. Wash your hands after eating. Now go play.
BathroomsI asked a friend of mine who works at Bob's Burgers about using the bathrooms. He said "I'm probably going to have to wash it every time someone uses it." Some places may not have their washroom open, so maybe don't drink that 1L pepsi bottle. Sanitizing wipes are pretty standard for all businesses now, so if the store employee is attentive, the bathroom should be clean. Also, men, if you miss the toilet, clean it up. There is toilet paper and soap right next to you. It's really not that hard. And if you can't do that, just sit down to pee. You degenerate.
Sorry, pet peeve of mine.
Behaviour of othersControlling your behaviour is easy to do. Getting other people to follow these rules is harder. If you see someone who isn't wearing a mask, or took the mask off the eat in the store, or doing something else that can endanger the health of the people in the store, call them out. I understand that not everyone has the same confidence I do on these matters, so find someone who will call them out on it (store owner perhaps). Reckless behaviour cannot be tolerated in a pandemic. And I know telling off a friend of yours can be hard, but it also needs to be done. If nothing can be done to
remedy this bad behaviour,
leave the store. I'll say it again; your safety and the safety of your family/friends is more important than a card game.
Closing remarksPlease note that a lot of what I've said applies to places that have the pandemic under reasonable control. If you're in a location that has a spike in cases, or just a high number of cases (like a certain North American country...), you should stay home. My country's government is handling this well. Your's may not be. If you have any questions about the virus, my inbox is open. I've learned that I know a lot more about this virus than most people, which has caused me to be extra cautious (pronounced pah-rah-noyd). Because I've been respecting social distancing, and convincing my friends and family to be more cautious, no one around me has gotten sick. But I have friends both at home and abroad that can't say the same. This disease is very infectious, and it can leave survivors with permanent lung and circulatory damage (permanent as far as we can tell. Full extent of long-term effects of Covid-19 are still not fully studied). Rejoice that your LGS is able to open up, but don't be foolish. Wear a mask, wash your hands, keep your distance.
Stay safe Deckstats.