Please check back here often to see BHoF’s latest response and changes as the COVID-19 crisis continues to unfold.
May 1 – “Stay at Home” order extended to at least May 15; museum closed to at least June 15
The state’s Roadmap to Recovery (PDF) phased re-opening plan extends Nevada’s “stay at home” order to at least May 15, and potentially longer depending on indicators. As we grapple with the physical and hygiene requirements required to keep our visitors and staff safe during their visit to the museum — plexiglass shields, removal of materials that cannot be easily cleaned, installation of no-touch equipment, institution of daily cleaning schedules, etc. — it is obvious that we will need at least a month after being allowed to return to work to ready our space and train our staff. Our current plan is to reopen one month after the lifting of the state’s “stay at home” order, provided we can do so safely and effectively.
April 1 – “Stay at Home” order issued through April 30
This morning, Nevada’s Governor Sisolak issued a statewide “Stay at Home” order and extended the closure of all non-essential businesses through April 30. Assuming no further extensions are issued, we will assess at the beginning of May our options to re-open safely.
March 26 – BHoF Weekender Postponed to Aug 27-30
The Burlesque Hall of Fame is deeply committed to protecting the health and safety of attendees at all our events. As COVID-19 continues to spread rapidly around the world and more and more communities adopt social distancing and self-isolation measures to contain the disease, it is clear that holding our BHoF Weekender event in June will not be possible this year.
Therefore, we are postponing the 2020 BHoF Weekender to August 27-30, 2020, at The Orleans Hotel and Casino.
Given continued travel restrictions around the world and the disproportionate effect this disease has on older adults, we expect this year’s Weekender to be a very different event from previous years. However, we are determined to do our best to create a celebration of burlesque and the burlesque community that we can all be proud of! Stay tuned to our website, bhofweekend.com, and our social media streams for updates as they occur.
March 18 – Closure extended to April 17
Under new state regulations, all non-essential businesses in Nevada are closed 30 days, which means we will be closed until at least April 17. We continue to look out for the best conditions for our staff and the collection that is our responsibility. We will continue to provide updates as needed.
March 16 – All non-essential businesses in NV closed to Apr 6
On Sunday, March 15, Nevada Governor Sisolak announced closure of all Nevada Schools to April 6. Shortly afterwards, Wynn and MGM both announced the closure of all their Las Vegas properties for the same period.
With most businesses in Las Vegas either closed or operating at greatly reduced capacity, and all public events cancelled for the immediate future, we have little reason to remain open. Effective immediately, the museum will be closed to the public through at least April 6. At that time and going forward, we will re-evaluate the situation on a weekly basis to determine when we can return to our regular open hours.
In addition, we have cancelled our April 17 show “Tease: A Burlesque Revue” at Ron Decar’s Event Center and our School of Striptease Student Showcase scheduled for March 20 at Baobob Stage. All tickets already sold will be refunded and all performers have been guaranteed spots in future shows.
BHoF will continue to monitor the situation and reassess our position as needed. Please make sure to whitelist our email address (info@burlesquehall.com) to assure delivery of our emails, and watch our website and Facebook page, for updates.
March 11 – BHoF committed to safe and healthy environment for visitors, staff
The Burlesque Hall of Fame is watching the coronavirus COVID-19 situation carefully. Las Vegas has been minimally effected so far, but nobody knows what will happen in the weeks and months to come. The health of our visitors and staff are vitally important to us, as is the well-being of those who attend our annual BHoF Weekender event, to be held June 4-7 at The Orleans Hotel and Casino.
At the museum, we are redoubling our normal efforts to maintain a safe and clean environment. We already use surgery-grade air filters that are more than sufficient to catch viral contaminants, and touching things is a big “no-no” anyway. We have increased our cleaning regimen to include disinfecting all restroom surfaces, door handles, and other potential sites of contagion twice a day, and have placed hand sanitizer stations in convenient locations. We have reiterated all relevant policies to staff and made accommodations to allow employees to take time off if they become ill or are in contact with someone who is ill.
At this time, we intend to hold the 2020 BHoF Weekender as scheduled. We are working closely with The Orleans Hotel and Casino to make sure we put in place the best available practices to protect attendees. In addition, we are in contact with the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority to monitor any changes in the general situation. At this time, there are no travel advisories referring to Las Vegas or, indeed, the United States as a whole, and the Southern Nevada Health District does not view Las Vegas resorts and convention facilities to be high risk locations with regard to coronavirus transmission.
We understand that this disease brings a lot of uncertainty and makes planning difficult. To address this, we will be relaxing our BHoF Weekender ticket return policies this year, offering a 100% refund to passholders who are unable to attend the Weekender due to verifiable illness, government travel restrictions, or any form of medical isolation. And passes remain transferable; anyone who cannot attend for non-medical reasons may still sell or give their tickets to another. Orleans reservations may be cancelled at any time up to 24 hours before your scheduled arrival without penalty.
We know this is a scary time, but we ask our fans and friends to stay reasonable. The CDC-recommended safeguards are time-tested and effective:
- wash your hands frequently with soap
- use hand sanitizer when soap and water are not immediately accessible
- avoid close contact with people (and limit contact to fist bumps, elbow touches, “jazz hands”, and other forms of non-hand touching)
- avoid touching your mouth, nose, eyes, or ears
- cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze, preferably with a disposable tissue or your elbow (not your hands)
We will do everything in our power to make sure that people who make it to Las Vegas have a safe and fun experience at both the Weekender and the museum. If you have any concerns, please contact us and we’ll do our best to address them. We will be sure to communicate any new information as it arrives.