strip club stage money
Dozens of states are already in the process of reopening their crashed economies. Now the first strip club in the country, located in Wyoming, has resumed pole dancing operations and threw a grand reopening party last Friday called "masks on, clothes off."

"When they [state officials] reopened the restaurants and bars in Wyoming, we were super excited because it's been very difficult for us," Kim Chavez, the owner of "The Den," told FOX31.

"It's been horrible to go almost three months without any kind of income," Chavez's husband, Greg Chavez, said.

Wyoming has had one of the lowest confirmed cases and deaths of COVID-19 in the US. As of Tuesday morning, confirmed cases stood at 577 and deaths at 10. Such a low count prompted state officials to reopen bars and restaurants last Friday, which included The Den.

"It was pretty busy," Greg said, referring to the reopening party. "People had money to spend, and people were out. I think they were excited to be feeling normal again."

FOX31 said The Den is the first strip club in America to reopen in the post-corona world. People from surrounding states piled into the strip club for the reopening party.

"Last night was crazy. We had people from Omaha and Utah, Nebraska, South Dakota. They made the trip," Kim said.

While normal pole dancing operations have resumed, the reopening has ushered in new health protocols to keep staff and patrons safe as the risk of transmission is still elevated with the threat of a second coronavirus wave that could materialize later this year. Things inside the club looked different: "We just need to practice social distancing. We need to make sure that our customers feel safe when they're here. We need to protect our staff. And just make sure that we're doing our best to keep everybody protected and safe," Kim said.

All dancers and employees are required to wear masks inside the facility and regularly wash and sanitize hands. Strict social distancing guidelines have been set that includes no contact between dancer and patron.

"We can do the dances on stage, but no lap dances," Greg said.

Patrons are not required to wear masks but are asked to sanitize hands before entering the club. Sanitizing stations have been placed around the facility for staff and patrons to use. Dancers are required to sanitizer the pole before performing a show.

USA Today interviewed several dancers who were glad just to be back at work:

"Twenty-two dollars," dancer Cleo said. "Not too bad!" adding that it's her first income she's earned in quite some time.

"I'm super-excited. I'm a little nervous because the virus is still out there, but I'm glad to be able to go to work because a lot of people can't yet," said dancer Doris Craig. "The stimulus money was nice, but that's going to run out, and I don't like to feel like I'm dependent on the government."

Another dancer by the name Breauna Grover, said she's not too worried about the virus -- adding that it poses little danger.

Dancers in a post-corona world appear to have added one more accessory to their mix of bikinis, g-strings, and fancy lingerie, which is now a mask.