London’s Egg nightclub says it lost £20,000 a night over the 18-month COVID lockdown
Egg Nightclub is just one of many UK venues trying to recover from the hard-hitting pandemic.
Photo: Rob Pinney / Getty
For 18 months, London’s iconic Egg Nightclub was shut down due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Hans Christian Hess, the Managing Director of Egg, has now revealed that each night of the shutdown cost the nightclub £20,000.
As reported by Mix Mag, Hans said “We’ve been shut for 18 months and it’s been really hard. Brexit together with COVID has definitely been an issue. Bills are adding up and authorities are not helping with the guidelines and restrictions. It’s been a nightmare.”
While nightclubs were allowed to reopen earlier this year on 19 July, they have nonetheless faced additional challenges, including the “pingdemic” later that month. Over 700,000 people were directed by the NHS to self-isolate after being in close contact with a person who recently tested positive.
This inevitably affected Egg’s reopening weekends, but Hans has since put in place safety measures to protect clubbers. These precautions include requiring a negative COVID-19 test result and temperature checks before entering, as well as furnishing the premises with hand sanitisers, properly ventilated air conditioning, and COVID-proof hand dryers.
“We’re happy. We’ve been quite busy. People have been getting down and the vibe has been really good. We’ve had lots of young people, which is really good for the younger generation and those who haven’t experienced nightlife before,” he said.
However, the UK’s government’s recent introduction of vaccine passports may prove to be yet another hurdle for Egg, and Hans noted his apprehension over the new measure that will require proof of full vaccination from would-be clubbers.
“It will be really difficult for us. I’m feeling a bit apprehensive,” Hans told MyLondon “I hope we’ll still be trading, but we’re just trying to take it one step by one step.”
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