Mask rule at clubs 'incredibly hard to enforce,' but B.C. owner says it's a legal and moral duty

Trying to get patrons to wear their masks on the dance floor at The Blue Grotto in Kamloops, B.C., this weekend was "like herding cats," according to the club's owner.

David "Puppy" Johnston said his staff would move through the crowd, reminding patrons to mask up.

"You'd start with a group of girls: 'Can you please put your masks on? They go, 'Yeah,' and they pull them up, and then you go to the next group. 'Hey, can you remember your mask?' Then by the time you turned around, the first group had them off again," Johnston told CBC.

"It's like herding cats. It's incredibly hard to enforce."

This weekend marked the first time in nearly two years that dancing was allowed in B.C. nightclubs. But clubs still need to abide by certain COVID-19 restrictions, including a requirement for everyone to wear masks when they're not seated.

According to the province, it's up to staff at nightclubs to make sure their guests are wearing masks on the dance floor, and environmental health officers are responsible for making sure the clubs are enforcing the rules.

The Ministry of Health said police should be called if patrons become aggressive or violent.

Photos and video taken inside Vancouver nightclubs over the weekend show that mask use was spotty at best on many dance floors.

At The Blue Grotto, Johnston said people seemed to have no problem wearing masks while lining up for drinks at the bar or going to the bathroom, but dancing was another matter.

"We found that as the night went on, it became more and more difficult to enforce," Johnston said.

"We had signage. We had stationed two doormen on either side of the stage … but it was just constantly reminding people to put their masks on."

Enforcing the rule was especially difficult because Johnston was scrambling for staff this weekend.

He said the last-minute notice from the province allowing nightclubs to open up again meant many of his usual workers were unavailable, so he had to depend on new hires. He even filled in as bartender for the first time in 20 years.

Johnston said he's hopeful that things will be easier on the upcoming weekend, because for him, this isn't just about respecting the law.

He believes bar and nightclub owners have a social responsibility to do what they can to protect their customers and staff from COVID-19.

"I want everybody that was in here this past weekend to be able to come back next weekend, and I don't want them to be sick," he said.