Today is an unimaginable moment in the history of the entertainment industry. Today, for the first time in almost 65 years, there is no operating Disney theme park anywhere on Earth. Today, for the first time in nearly 20 years, there are no operating shows on Broadway. Cancellations or postponements have been felt across major sports leagues such as the NBA, NCAA, MLB, NHL, MLS, WWE and others. Major conventions such as E3, SXSW, and more around the country have announced their cancellations as well. Closer to home for our industry, TransWorld has just announced the indefinite postponement of their annual Halloween & Attractions Show.

It’s easy to see all of this happen and become fearful – but it’s important to remember that while being vigilant and responsible, it is still possible to have safe, family fun in these uncertain times. Today, we’d like to look specifically at the impact of the Coronavirus, otherwise known as COVID-19, on the escape game industry across the United States. A large majority of venues, as of this writing, plan to remain operational despite seemingly the entire entertainment world going dark. Our goal today is to shine a spotlight on that, and share with you why it may not at all be such a bad idea.

I can speak to a lot of things in our industry; I’m an attraction designer. I’ve traveled around the globe. I’ve played a lot of games and experienced a lot of immersive attractions. What I unquestionably cannot give a credible assessment of is medical safety. It’s not my place to tell you everyone will be fine, because I’m simply and openly not qualified to speak on that. Instead, I’ve reached out to several friends who are well-trained members of the medical community, and asked each of them to share their perspective. While it’s important to note that with any virus, things can change – the following statistics are known to be accurate the time of this writing. Here’s what they have to say:

I’m an ICU nurse and a previous escape room owner. As a nurse, I deal with many viruses, diseases, etc. on a daily basis. I understand that the media has created quite a scare around the coronavirus, but before we buy into the hype, it is important to understand coronavirus a bit better. Below I have summarized a post from Michael Zapor who is a doctor who specializes in infectious diseases, a research microbiologist, and former deputy commander of the Walter Reed Army institute of Research. Link to experience and credentials   If you would like to read the full post, it is available on Michael Zapor’s Facebook page.

“Firstly, we’ve known about coronaviruses since the 1960s. Coronaviruses are common in birds and mammals (with the greatest diversity in bats), and human infections are caused by two alpha and several beta species. Coronaviruses are ubiquitous and along with rhinoviruses, parainfluenza, metapneumovirus, and respiratory syncytial virus, cause most community-acquired upper respiratory tract infections (I.e. the COMMON COLD).  As with other respiratory viruses, coronaviruses occasionally cause more severe illness. Individuals at the extremes of age (I.e. infants and the elderly), as well as those with comorbid pulmonary disease (e.g. chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), or immune compromising conditions (e.g. hematopoietic stem cell transplant or HIV infection) are at increased risk. Coronaviruses are transmitted by respiratory aerosol droplets, and the mainstay of prevention is hand washing, respiratory hygiene (I.e. covering the cough or sneeze), and disinfection of surfaces. The incubation period for the coronavirus appears to average 3-6 days.  Because viral DNA has been isolated from respiratory secretions of exposed asymptomatic individuals, it is believed that not everyone who is exposed will become ill.

Epidemiological studies of the Wuhan outbreak suggest that most infected individuals will have mild disease (81%), and only a minority will develop pneumonia (14%) and even a smaller percentage (people that are extremes of age are have other comorbid pulmonary diseases) will develop serious pneumonia with respiratory failure (5%).The overall estimated fatality rate appears to be ~2.3%, making it less deadly than some influenza strains and far less deadly than MERS. Moreover, the fatality rate outside of Wuhan is lower (0.7%) and as with other coronaviruses, risk factors for severe or critical disease include extremes of age, comorbid illness, and immune compromising conditions.

Although the emergence of a novel virus is never a trifling matter, it is important for people to have a realistic understanding of the disease caused by it without succumbing to hysteria. To date, the corona virus has shown itself to be a respiratory viral pathogen most commonly causing mild, self-limiting illness, with more severe disease limited to certain susceptible populations (in contrast, say, to the 1918 H1N1 influenza virus which disproportionately killed healthy younger people. link to more Info). Moreover, researchers are making progress in developing vaccines and therapeutics. I certainly don’t mean to trivialize the coronavirus. However, there has been far more lethal viral pathogens such as HIV, Rabies, Ebola, and other viral hemorrhagic fever viruses; and unless something changes with the virus, there is not a need to be more than moderately alarmed by the corona virus. If you have a good/normal immune system and you caught the coronavirus, the result will be like catching the FLU (common cold). In fact, the two are completely indistinguishable clinically.”

As you can see, for most of us, coronavirus isn’t as big of a deal as the media is making it seem. However, we should always do our part to prevent the spread of germs and bacteria. Wash your hands, disinfect surfaces, cover your mouth when you cough, and avoid touching your face. Be especially cautious if you have little ones or elderly with you.

The coronavirus shouldn’t keep us from living our lives, we just need to do so with a little more caution to keep those around us safe.

The virus is definitely very contagious and can be serious for people of certain demographics. Social distancing is the current solution to flatten the curve. Basically, if the community as a whole avoids large grouping then the virus has less of a chance to spread between people, as some people may have mild symptoms or be carriers without symptoms.

The people at most risk are the elderly and immunocompromised. These groups of people should remain home as much as possible and avoid contact with sick individuals. Young, healthy people will most likely be fine if they catch the virus but should be aware of loved ones whom they could give it to.

I think you could say that escape rooms are ok because it’s a small group and can still fall under the social distancing.

As an ER nurse, I feel that in these times, we need the support and love of those around us more than ever. Due to the coronavirus, and all the unknowns surrounding it, I believe that it is important to take special precautions and take extra care to WASH YOUR HANDS. WITH SOAP AND WATER. People should also pay close attention to sneezing and coughing into their elbows, rather than into their hands, which can spread more germs. I would even go as far as to say to limit exposure in environments where there are large crowds of people, as suggested by the CDC.

However, I believe that continuing to enjoy family activities, such as escape rooms, is safe and can help keep families and friends close during this scary time. I would recommend not playing a game with anyone who you don’t know. Of course, do not go out into public or expose yourself to others if you are running fevers or experiencing cough. Activities with families and friends can and should still be enjoyed, everyone should just be more conscious of performing gold hygiene practices.

We’ve spent the past several days reaching out personally to venues around the country to learn what they’re doing differently to ensure your safety in these uncertain times. We’re happy to report that all we’ve spoken to have made positive changes to their normal operation to truly go above and beyond.

• Several very popular venues around the country have each completely changed their business models to make all games private for the foreseeable future.  Doing so ensures your family is at no risk of being paired with others who are not apart of your immediate group.
• Every venue we spoke to is readily stocked with hand sanitizer, and many of them have also purchased sterile gloves that they offer free of charge to any guest who wishes to make use of them.
• As well, every venue we spoke to is making use of hospital-grade cleaning supplies to fully disinfect all high-touch surfaces throughout each game during every single reset – this means every lock, key, box and doorknob is being thoroughly wiped down between each and every group.
• We’re also happy to report that most venues we spoke to informed us that they’re asking each guest to thoroughly wash their hands with soap and water the moment they arrive, minimizing the risk of outside contamination to the highest possible degree.
• Every venue we spoke to assures us that common areas, such as lobbies and restrooms, are cleaned thoroughly on a regular schedule multiple times throughout each operating day.

Each owner we spoke to completely comprehends the uncertainty surrounding COVID-19, and as such, are doing everything they can to be understanding of any requests to cancel or reschedule existing bookings. Of course it goes without saying, but they request anyone feeling ill, running a fever or showing any symptoms please make use of this option without any penalties.

We recognize that it’s easy to become genuinely nervous amid this global pandemic – and make no mistake, we encourage all of our readers to be as safe and responsible as possible. It is our hope that sharing this inside look, both from the perspective of medical professionals and escape game venues themselves, can help assuage some of the fear – and show there are still some safe options out there for family fun. Of course, we implore anyone who is or was recently ill take that very seriously, and stay home – not just for your health and safety, but for the health and safety of everyone else around you. We also firmly suggest that any high risk demographics, such as those of advanced age or those with preexisting conditions which might make them more susceptible to this virus remain home and ride out the storm. But for those families feeling a bit stir crazy in the days ahead, knowing the steps being taken by these venues to keep you safe could offer a healthy alternative form of entertainment in a time with so much on indefinite pause.

Most importantly of all, be smart, and be safe. Wash your hands thoroughly and often. Seek out only venues offering private bookings to guarantee your time is spent with only those of your immediate group who you know personally. If a venue you wish to visit is still running public games, don’t hesitate to politely request an exception to that policy given the circumstances; though we can’t speak for every company, we highly doubt there are many who will not do their part to make their guests as comfortable as possible with all that’s going on. If you still have concerns, never be afraid to call your local escape game venue directly and ask any questions you have. We’re certain they’ll be happy to take all the time needed to help you understand everything they are doing to keep you safe. And last but not at all least, if you live in a city where local officials have issued orders to shut businesses down, whether you agree with it or not, respect it. We’d be happy to point you to several escape room home games you can order straight from Amazon to keep you busy until the craziness subsides.

Don’t become a prisoner of fear, but also never lose sight of how to manage these days ahead responsibly. We will escape this together, sooner than it may seem.