‘The whole city could go under lockdown:’ PiNK G.M. responds to Snapchat video of Diva’s Nightclub

“It’s a cocktail of different emotions, to say the least.”

That’s how Joe Jackson, general manager of PiNK Lounge and Nightclub, described his feelings after a video was sent to him on Snapchat on Friday, showing Diva’s Nightclub with a packed dance floor.

Over the past weekend, a Snapchat video has surfaced of Diva’s Nightclub in #yxe, with a packed dance floor.

PiNK, another Saskatoon nightclub called the acts “infuriating and disappointing.”

The footage was shared to @CKOMNews, as well: pic.twitter.com/oEpGcEaUQV

— Brady Lang (@BradyLangSK) October 13, 2020

The video has since sent outrage throughout the industry, according to Jackson. After the video surfaced, a COVID-19 exposure alert was announced Monday for Diva’s, along with the Crazy Cactus.

The potential exposures occurred Oct. 3 from 11:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. at Diva’s, and then from 1:05 a.m. to 2 a.m. at the Crazy Cactus.

According to Jackson, the act of bar-hopping could pose a potential threat to the industry, based on the Monday exposure announcement.

As a direct competitor of Diva’s, Jackson said PiNK would then also be subjected to the potential of an outbreak, not knowing if its patrons entered other clubs or bars after a night of drinking.

“Before (the pandemic), I would often be of the mindset of, ‘It doesn’t matter what they do under their roof. That is none of my business. That’s their prerogative. It has no effect on me,’ right up until now,” Jackson explained, claiming this is the second outbreak at Diva’s in the past two months.

“That causes me a great deal of anxiety and worry. I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop here. We could have an outbreak tomorrow, we could have one three weeks from now, we could never have one or we could have already had one. I don’t know.”

Jackson said his business has always followed proper protocols since it was able to reopen. That includes contact tracing, along with a lot of sanitizing.

But that doesn’t have any effect on what other businesses are doing, or how they are operating.

“Even one (positive case) is too much. And so yes, I am worried that because of (Diva’s actions), the whole city could go under lockdown. We also have to be prepared for that,” Jackson explained.

He said the days of dance clubs are “numbered for the time being,” but everyone is affected by COVID-19. Jackson said it’s infuriating and frustrating to see others simply not following rules, or protocols.

650 CKOM has reached out to Diva’s Nightclub but didn’t receive a response at the time of publishing.