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Like many businesses nationwide, Escape Room 831 in Monterey has closed its doors due to the coronavirus pandemic and statewide Shelter-in-Place order. And even when it opens its doors, once the order has been rescinded, it will take all necessary precautions to keep its customers and employees safe and healthy.

Since the coronavirus is so unpredictable and we still don’t have enough information on its long-term effects, Escape Room 831 will be implementing the extra precautions listed below to make sure its facilities, customers and employees are safe. We feel strongly that these are steps that our industry should adopt to protect players from COVID-19.

Here are five precautions we’ve identified and intend to follow:

1. Eliminate mixed-player games.

Going forward all games must be private. Groups will be limited to family members and close friends in order to limit the possible spread. All players must be known to the group before entering the room to play. With that in mind, we’ve also adjusted our booking system and pricing structure to reflect this change. You can rest assured that you will only be playing with people you know, whether the room can hold six or 10, it will only be your party.

2. Disinfect game rooms after each game.

Each room will be thoroughly cleaned by our employees, especially all hard surfaces that have heavy use, such as doorknobs, tabletops, locks and keys. While we have always prided ourselves on keeping our facility spotless, we are expanding our requirements to do this following every game to keep everyone safe. Employees will also have masks and gloves at the ready so they are not directly touching surfaces or passing particles in the air.

3. Clean restrooms every 2-3 hours.

All customer restrooms will be cleaned every two to three hours, even more frequently if there is heavy use, following all official guidelines for cleaning public spaces. This will include following EPA guidelines for cleaners that are specifically identified to kill the COVID-19 virus. Those cleaners can be found at epa.gov.

4. Require customers to wash their hands and provide sanitizer on-site.

We will require all customers to wash or sanitize their hands prior to entering the room. We started with this policy when this outbreak first occurred and it makes sense to continue the practice. In addition, it highlights the importance of everyone adhering to the schedule. Being on time allows us to keep customers in their own areas and maintain social distancing practices to keep them safe. We will also have hand-sanitizing stations in place for customer and employee use. You’ll be happy to know that we have an industrial contact from our friends at Fright Props and four gallons of hand sanitizer is on a recurring order status so we have ample supply at all times.

5. Encourage players to bring their patience, be safe and have fun.

We will all get through this together by working together, so patience and courtesy go a long way. The bottom line is to be safe, follow the rules and have fun! We cannot tell you how much we miss having everyone playing games. This is about fun and bringing that mindset will help all of us.

Going forward, Escape Room 831 will follow all guidelines for safety issued by local, state and national officials. In fact, we intend to go above and beyond guidelines to be extra vigilant to make you feel safe and secure inside our doors.

Call us at (831) 241-6616, for more information, go to escaperoom831.com, or send an email and we can answer further questions. Escape Room 831 is located at 599 Lighthouse Avenue, in Monterey.