SALISBURY, Md.– The Wicomico Youth & Civic Center in Salisbury welcomed its first event since reopening to the public this week.
On Tuesday, Rotary Club members filed in the venue, completed entry screenings and took their seats in a well-spaced meeting room.
“It’s a different look and a new way of operating, but the same level of customer service our guests are accustomed to,” said Katie Rouse, manager of the Civic Center. “It feels good to be open for business.”
The Civic Center is now open for small meetings, gatherings and catered events. Rooms will be capped at 50% capacity, as per Gov. Larry Hogan’s executive order.
"We're excited to be reopened and show everyone what we've done to make it safe, and we're excited to provide a little bit of normalcy for people so they can start getting together safely and enjoying that social interaction we all love so much," she said.
In addition to capacity restrictions, the Civic Center has implemented new health and safety protocols for events, including:
- Additional pre- and post-event cleaning and disinfecting
- Entry screenings and temperature checks
- Properly distanced room layouts
- Hand sanitizer stations
- Designated restrooms sanitized before, during and after events
- Enhanced protocols for meal preparation and service.
"We've focused on making everything clean, we've enhanced our already stringent sanitation procedures, we've rearranged rooms to make social distancing possible," she said.
Even though the Civic Center is offering small events at the moment, the site is already planning for larger events.
"We're looking at dates for next year, and ones that were already here at the beginning of this year, Rouse said. "We're in constant talks with promoters who have shows coming in."
The Civic Center’s reopening was a cooperative effort between the venue staff, the Wicomico County Health Department and the Department of Emergency Services.
“Preparing to reopen was an all-hands-on-deck task,” Rouse said. “I’m proud of our staff for working hard to make this happen.”
With the exception of scheduled events, the building’s temporary hours are weekdays, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. A single point of access is located at the box office entrance. Everyone entering the building is required to wear a mask and complete a screening questionnaire and temperature check.
Civic Center guests should continue to practice social distancing and hand hygiene guidelines from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (https://www.cdc.gov/).
Visit http://www.wicomicociviccenter.org/about-the-center/news for a short video about the venue’s reopening protocols.
Decisions made by county officials are fluid and can be changed at any time.
The Wicomico Civic Center will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation through regular updates from the Wicomico County Health Department and the Department of Emergency Services. Updates will be shared with the press, as well as posted to department websites and social media outlets.