Dive Bars Bring in the Light
By Mike Seely | The New York Times
While “dive bar” is mostly a term of endearment these days, even the upper echelon of such dark, dank drinking establishments has never been regarded as particularly preoccupied with sparkling tabletops.
Dive bars are lived in, died in, rode hard and put away wet in, laughed and cried in a stranger’s arms in, at once fully yourself and completely anonymous in. They’re where folks go to drink, to lie, to love, to sigh, to put Keith Sweat on the jukebox and have no one ask why.
One of the oldest bars in Seattle, the 5 Point — slogan: “Alcoholics serving alcoholics since 1929” — has also constructed a cozy, heated outdoor area for its patrons. They also recently upgraded his heating, venting and air-conditioning system with Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV) filters to improve air circulation.
With the help of Dr. Bruce Davidson, a pulmonary physician and the former president of the National Tuberculosis Controllers Association, he installed fans and UV-C lights on the bar’s ceiling.
As Davidson, who became enamored of this specific type of ultraviolet light when he observed how effective it was in the tuberculosis wards of Philadelphia, explained, the fans suck the air that customers exhale straight toward the ceiling.
Should any of those customers unknowingly have the coronavirus, the UV-C lights stop it from spreading, protecting patrons and staff alike. (Such lights are also being used to as a safeguard against the coronavirus in hospitals, schools, restaurants and subway systems, including New York City’s.)
Yet for as confident as Davidson is in UV-C lighting’s ability to slay the coronavirus, he remains a staunch advocate of mask wearing as a means of “source control.” It just so happens Seattle has an indoor mask mandate, something Meinert’s employees aren’t shy about enforcing.