CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Evening Muse hosted its first live show Wednesday night since changes were announced reversing the CDC's guidance that masks should once again be worn indoors even by those who are fully vaccinated.
Joe Kuhlmann, owner of The Evening Muse says the venue chose to follow the CDC guidance and now require all staff, performers and guest wear masks for the sake of staying safe.
“The way I look at it the number of people who have died from wearing a mask—zero," Kulmann said. "The number that have potentially died because of folks not wearing masks countless.”
But experts said the constantly changing COVID-19 safety guidelines can sometimes cause mental and emotional stress for some.
“I feel a little bit of panic being spiked which can lead to a whole bunch of other issues like anxiety, alcoholism and addiction," life coach Adam Jablin said.
He suggests some solutions to help deal with the stress like surrendering a little bit and realizing you can't control everything
“Emotionally share what’s going on with someone else," Jablin said. "Vent, get this off your chest.”
For others listening to live music can also be a release.
“Very special to be back in this kind of environment especially after the quarantine we went through," Cooper Andrews said. He's one of the dozens of guests who attended Wednesday night's jazz show at The Evening Muse.
The only time masks are an exception at the music venue is when customers are drinking or the artists are on stage performing. But most seem to agree that this mental break to enjoy live music makes wearing the mask worth it.
“It’s a little frustrating when it seems there’s an easy fix to this with the vaccine, but a mask is a small inconvenience," Andrews said.
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