Health Guidelines for Entertainers

Just like the rest of the world, Joy Set Entertainment has been impacted by the worldwide pandemic of the Coronavirus.  Our small business has been around since 1994 and this has been one of our biggest challenges.  We have had to learn some new skills and new ways of continuing to do the things that we love.  Thankfully we are surviving and we will come out better and stronger than before.  We are incredibly grateful to our customers and fans that ordered balloon deliveries and entertainment services.  Today I want to share about how we are responding to this crisis.  

First of all birthday parties may not even observe that much of a difference.  We still offer our beloved singing telegrams.  We are still offering our parties with balloon twisting, face painting, and comedy magic.  You can combine any of these or just select your favorite options for a fun party experience.  Yes, there will be a few changes in just how these services are done but you and your guests will be so busy enjoying themselves to notice.  If you had to reschedule a party, check out our Half-Birthday promotion. 

Safety is a priority.  Since starting out in entertaining years ago, we have always been concerned with the well being of our clients.  Now more than ever we are stepping up our game to make certain that our guests and artists are safe.  With that in mind, all of our performers and artists will be doing the following.

•  Washing their hands.  The Center for Disease Control recommends washing hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and warm water.  Our workers will wash their hands before any work shifts and after any breaks.  They will also be given hand sanitizer to use as needed.

• Recording their temperatures.  Each worker with Joy Set Entertainment must record their temperature for at least four days before working at an event. Temperatures will also be taken at the event.   Because we network with many talented performers we do not anticipate any scheduling problems.  However, in the event of sickness or temperature spikes, the entertainer may have to be replaced with a different type of performer or canceled.  In the event of a cancellation, fees will be credited or refunded.

• Paying more attention to their health.  We have asked our entertainers to focus on improving their health by getting enough sleep and maintaining proper nutrition.   A healthy body is more able to fight off diseases,  It turns out that our moms were right.  We should get plenty of sleep, take our vitamins, and wash our hands.

• Following and posting safety guidelines.  For larger events, our balloon twisters, face painters, and caricature artists will be posting safety guidelines.  These guidelines are meant to protect our entertainers as well as your guests.  These guidelines specify that those showing visible signs of infection (coughing, runny nose, fever, etc) can not receive certain services

• Eliminate lines.  Our performers will be utilizing ticketed systems to eliminate the need for your guests to stand in line.  We are using signs made available from Winking Derby.   A limited number of tickets will be given out.  The numbers will be verbally called out and visually displayed.  There will be signage that explains all of this in a more detailed process.  We may need additional staff from either our company or yours to help facilitate this process.

• Wearing masks. While the current virus is active, our entertainers will be wearing face masks.  While we recognize that the readily available face masks will not totally block viruses, they do offer some protection.  And they help give peace of mind to your guests.  Besides that, it is a great reminder not to touch your face.  Did you know that the average person touches their face sixteen times per hour?  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18357546

Our balloon artists will still bring the same level of colorful fun that they always have.  But a few changes will be necessary.  Our balloon twisters will not be inflating any balloons with their mouth.  They will use manual or electric pumps.  Hats and other wearable balloons can still be done, but will need to be adapted slightly.  Don’t worry, our twisters are trained in making hats that can easily be adjusted by the wearer (or mom and dad).  They also know how to make super cute balloon bracelets that both boys and girls love.   And as noted above, there won’t be lines forming for the balloon twisters.

Our face painters can still do their jobs of transforming kids (and adults) into dragons, butterflies, princesses, tigers, and more. Please be aware that it is not possible to maintain the CDC recommended six-foot barrier and paint on someone.  Our face painters will be maintaining strict guidelines in cleaning.  They will stock extra brushes and sponges so that only one is used for each guest.  After this, they will be thoroughly cleaned using alcohol and water.  If you only have one face painter they will need to take breaks to allow for this cleaning process.  We recommend more than one face painter to allow them to rotate these breaks.  For large events, you may want to consider an assistant that can help with this task.
Also, our face painters will be doing less painting on the face.  That is okay, arms and shoulders can still be painted with some great looking options.  When our artists do paint on the face, they will be avoiding getting close to the eyes, mouth, and nose.  Areas being painted will be wiped down using gentle skin wipes.  This can be done by mom or dad.  And seating areas for those being painted will be cleaned between customers.

Caricature artists are always popular at any event.  Everyone loves this personalized keepsake of this event.  Due to spacing issues and safety concerns, only groups of four or less can have their caricatures done.  Each person in the group will still need their own ticket since each person drawn takes five to ten minutes depending on the complexity of the drawing.  What if it is a larger family?  If our artist is told in advance, they can leave proper spaces for the additional family members to appear.  That way the group of six can be broken down into two groups of three.  And once again, thorough cleaning of the seating areas will be done between guests.