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<ul><li>Ride-sharing servers like Uber will likely be allowed to resume services once the lockdown lifts, but they’re not taking any chances. </li><li>A TikTok video of an Uber ride in Gurgaon over the driver wearing a mask and sitting in a seat shielded with plastic has gone viral. </li><li>The company has also issued new guidelines, for rider and customer, to mitigate any tension that may arise due to an accidental cough or sneeze. </li></ul>Calling an Uber won’t be the same anymore once the lockdown lifts. Drivers in India are going to be wearing a mask and — as an additional precautionary measure — their seats may be covered in plastic, according to a video that was posted on TikTok yesterday. <div type="javascript" title="Custom" contenttype="Video"><cdata><![CDATA[ ]]></cdata></div> The cab is a relatively enclosed space. Even a sneeze or an accidental cough that create tension between the rider and the driver. Putting a plastic cover ensures that even when social distancing isn’t physically possible, the risk of contamination is mitigated to a certain extent. Uber’s new safety guidelines For over two months the ride-sharing company has been asking its customers to stay at home as much as possible. And, now that the lockdown may be lifted in many parts of India come May 18, they’re not going to take any chances, according to a company <a href="https://www.uber.com/en-GB/newsroom/your-second-first-trip/">blog post</a>. All drivers, before being allowed to accept any riders, will have to check-in through a ‘Go Online Checklist’ to verify that their face is covered, And the same will apply to riders as well. In addition, every time you want to take an Uber, you’ll have to sit in the backseat with the windows open. That means, no matter how hot it gets, air-conditioning won’t be an option. If you find that your driver isn’t wearing a mask, you’re allowed to cancel your ride without the prerequisite penalty that was imposed before. What’s new are the plastic screens. Even though the measure wasn’t outlined in Uber’s safety guidelines, the driver in the TikTok video — allegedly in Gurgaon's Udyog Vihar — has a plastic screen shielding his seat, not unlike drivers in China with the country’s Didi ride-hailing service. While more viewers have lauded the efforts made by <keyword id="2502101" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Uber-India">Uber India</keyword>, others are wondering whether they'll be allowed to make cash payments in the comments. The toll of the lockdown hasn’t been easy Uber. Just two days ago, on May 14, it laid off over 3,500 of its employees over a three-minute Zoom call. Taking precautions is one of the key ways that the company will be able to get back to business once the lockdown lifts. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/at-least-24-migrant-workers-killed-and-36-injured-on-their-way-home-from-rajasthan/articleshow/75770823.cms">At least 24 migrant workers killed and 36 injured on their way home from Rajasthan</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/international/news/us-to-donate-ventilators-to-india-to-fight-coronavirus-trump/articleshow/75770265.cms">Trump calls Modi a 'good friend', promising to donate ventilators to India to fight coronavirus</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/careers/news/indian-women-dont-like-being-gig-workers/articleshow/75757460.cms">Indian women don’t like being gig workers ⁠— the potentially $455 billion industry has to woo them with fair pay to start with</a>

Video of an Uber ride is all the rage on TikTok and Instagram ⁠— the driver got himself a cockpit covered in plastic

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="12272467" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="rideshare" source="Orion">Rideshare</keyword> and delivery drivers face dangers like assault, carjacking, and theft on the job.</li><li>Drivers are creating advocacy groups to address safety risks and share advice for working with the public. </li></ul>An increasing number of rideshare drivers, delivery drivers, and community advocates are speaking out about the <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/ncna1264987">dangers</a> they face on the job.Rideshare and delivery drivers face assaults, carjackings, thefts, and even death. Drivers have thus started to band together to make their jobs safer through advocacy groups and by sharing <keyword id="11989808" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="safety-tips" source="Orion">safety tips</keyword> with one another. Insider talked to seven current and former rideshare drivers about their best advice for staying safe. <h2>Michele Dottin, <keyword id="1042120" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="uber" source="Orion">Uber</keyword> driver</h2>"Always stay calm," said Dottin, a coalition member of <a href="https://justiceforappworkers.org/who-we-are/">Justice for App Workers</a> in New York City. "If you feel like you're in a dangerous situation, the worst thing you can do is escalate it. If you see a rider already coming in aggravated, the best thing to do is stay as calm and level-headed as possible."<h2>Ivan Ventura, Uber driver</h2>"Always be aware of your surroundings, and always stay around areas that you know," said Ventura, who's a member of the <a href="https://blackcarmafia.org/">Black Car Mafia</a> and a coalition member of <keyword id="14455902" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="justice-for-app-workers" source="Orion">Justice for App Workers</keyword> in New York City. "Don't get out of your comfort zone."<h2>Jacqueline Wideman, former Uber and <keyword id="11912664" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="lyft" source="Orion">Lyft</keyword> driver</h2>"I tell new drivers to always confirm the passenger's name and to always keep your doors locked until confirmation of the passenger is done," said Wideman, who's a full-time activist and coalition member of Justice for App Workers in Long Island, New York."Drunk passengers are often a safety issue. Their uncontrolled alcoholic persona can have them grabbing the steering wheel, opening doors while in motion, or attacking the driver. I tell other drivers to not take drunk passengers, especially if they wouldn't feel safe having them in their car. Many times, when a passenger is drunk and reaches their destination, they don't want to get out of the car. I tell drivers to not argue with them or physically remove them. Instead, call the cops to come and remove them."The most important safety tip is to get a dual dash cam that records inside the vehicle. This covers a driver against false accusations and denials on the part of the passenger."<h2>Johnny Ibradov, Uber driver</h2>"Driving requires a lot of skill," said Ibradov, who's a member of <a href="https://uzber.org/">UzBER</a> and a coalition member of Justice for App Workers in New York City. "However, the most overlooked skill is the ability to smile and say sorry. Road rage is one of the leading causes of car accidents, and the simple act of letting it go keeps everyone safe."Rushing is the leading cause of car accidents. Take your time."<h2>Teddi Burgess, Uber driver</h2>"If the rating is low, just skip it," said Burgess, who works in Chicago. "If someone has a low rating, there's a reason why. Passengers don't get a low rating because one driver felt bad about their trip."I also completely separated the front area of the car from the back area, so no one can reach under it and get to me in any way. I know rideshare drivers that have had their cars carjacked or had a gun put to their head, so I hope the shield is a little bit of a deterrent. I also have a dash camera that records inside and outside of the car, and it uploads video immediately to the cloud, so I can get proof of anything happening immediately on my phone."Lastly, stay off your phone when you're waiting for a passenger, and be aware of your surroundings. Always check behind you. Always look for the customer. If there's ever a situation where I feel in my gut that something's not right, I'll cancel the trip."<h2>Anwaar Malik, Uber driver </h2>"Try to deescalate a tense situation," said Malik, who works in New York City. "Talk it out. Take a deep breath, feel your surroundings, and try to understand the problem. Don't resist. Don't panic. Try your best to not argue or fight back. Before you start driving, install a heavy plastic partition in between you and the customer."<h2>Raul Rivera, Uber driver</h2>"I once was told by a driver that when picking up a passenger, he would take off his seatbelt just in case he had to make a run for it if he was ever in a stickup situation," said Rivera, who helped found <a href="https://twitter.com/nycdriversunite">NYC Drivers Unite</a> and is a coalition member of Justice for App Workers in New York City. "After a few blocks, if the driver felt safe, he would put his seatbelt back and continue the trip. I've followed that advice."

We asked rideshare drivers how they stay safe at work. They prep for anything — even jumping out of the car.

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="6362418" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="lyft">Lyft</keyword> will distribute 60,000 vehicle shields to drivers to help protect them from the spreading <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="coronavirus">coronavirus</keyword>. </li><li>The rest of its 2 million drivers will have the option to purchase the partitions, angering some drivers groups. </li><li>Lyft will not make a profit on the for-sale barriers, which the CDC first recommended in April, it said. </li><li>Lyft — and its main competitor Uber — saw a dramatic decline in rides requests as shelter-in-place orders in the US and internationally brought travel to a halt starting in March. </li></ul>Your next Lyft ride might feel more like a taxi ride from days gone by. The company said on Friday it would distribute some 60,000 vehicle partition shields to its most-active drivers as a protection against the coronavirus and begin selling the custom-made protective barriers to other drivers later this summer.The <keyword id="2973167" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="ride-hailing">ride-hailing</keyword> company began in May to require both passengers and drivers to wear a mask during trips and said it had provided North American drivers with more than 150,000 sanitizing products and masks since the outbreak of the pandemic.Lyft began designing the semi-rigid partition shields, made out of a polycarbonate material, several months ago and has since piloted it with a group of ride-hail drivers to solicit feedback, a spokeswoman said."It was critical to us that the design met the needs of rideshare drivers specifically, accommodated a wide range of vehicle models, could be self-installed and easily removed, and could be produced at a price point far lower than what is currently available in the market," the spokeswoman said in a statement.The move to sell the barriers to drivers who didn't receive one in the first distribution round angered some driver representation groups, who argue the protective equipment should be free. Lyft says it won't take any commission on the sales. Lyft will sell the partitions for about $50 at production cost and without a markup, the company said. Vehicle partition shields are available online from various manufacturers, with prices ranging from $50 to more than $100.The <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/organizations/rideshare-drivers-for-hire.html">U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued coronavirus guidelines in April</a> to professional drivers and recommended the installation of a partition between a driver and passengers.As of March 2019, Lyft had nearly 2 million drivers in the United States and Canada, where it operates. But regulators and analysts estimate the number of active drivers has dropped significantly during the pandemic, when ridership plummeted because of sweeping stay-at-home orders.Lyft said in June that trip requests on its platform rose around 26% from the low point in April but were still some 70% under prior-year levels.(Reporting by Tina Bellon in New York; Editing by Peter Cooney)

Lyft will give away thousands of plastic barriers to its drivers to help protect them from the coronavirus

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Many schools, offices, conferences, and even Broadway shows have been cancelled in the US in an effort to help reduce the spread of <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/category/wuhan-coronavirus">the novel coronavirus</a>. </li><li>Guidance for <keyword id="34615" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="restaurants">restaurants</keyword> and patrons varies widely by state and jurisdiction.</li><li>Experts told Insider people at <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-virus-everything-we-know-deadly-2019-ncov-wuhan-spread-2020-1">higher risk for coronavirus</a> should eat in, and even healthy people should recognize going out isn't risk-free. </li><li>If you must eat out, choose places that aren't crowded and where you won't be seated closely together. </li></ul>As Americans stage home offices, <a href="https://www.insider.com/what-does-social-distancing-mean-how-you-can-practice-it-2020-3">cancel social events</a>, avoid public transportation, and otherwise practice social distancing in an effort to reduce the chances of contracting and spreading the novel <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="coronavirus">coronavirus</keyword>, many are wondering, "Can we at least go out to eat?" The answer, experts say, depends. Your own vulnerabilities to the disease, where you live, and the <keyword id="6371025" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="restaurant">restaurant</keyword> you're considering going to itself all matter. Plus, your responsibilities to your community play a role in the answer, too. "So much of this is situation specific," Lauren Dunning, a director for the Milken Institute Center for the Future of Aging, who was most recently at the Los Angeles County Department of Public <keyword id="6354750" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="health">Health</keyword> focusing on chronic and infectious diseases.Here, experts break down exactly what you should consider before going out to eat. <h2>People over 50 shouldn't eat out, one expert said</h2><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cdc-americans-over-60-stock-up-on-groceries-stay-home-2020-3">Older adults and those with underlying health conditions</a> like heart disease, diabetes, and lung diseases, are especially vulnerable to contracting COVID-19 and getting seriously ill from it. "I would advise those that are above 50 and/or have pre-existing health conditions to avoid going out to eat altogether," Amit Malik, former clinical director of operations for various hospitals and health systems including New York Presbyterian Hospital, told Insider. That doesn't mean healthy, young people should rush out for every meal, though. "If you're going out to eat, you are putting yourself at risk, period," Malik said, because the virus spreads when people are in close quarters, which outside of a pandemic, are the appeal of restaurants and bars. "It's recommended for everyone, regardless of age and health status, to avoid being in large crowded places for the foreseeable future," Malik said, and to, of course, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-dry-your-hands-preven-coronavirus-2020-3">wash and dry your hands frequently and thoroughly</a>. <div type="image" title="crowded restaurant" height="787" width="1200" msid="77545306" hostid="261"></div><h2>Choose where you dine wisely</h2>If you do choose to go out to eat, where you go matters.<a href="https://drdarria.com/">Dr. Darria Long Gillespie</a>, clinical assistant professor at University of Tennessee Erlanger and national spokesperson for the American College of Emergency Physicians, suggested people ask: How many people will be there? How close will you be to all of those people? How well ventilated is the space or how much people can move around?"The more people, the more closely packed, and the more poorly ventilated the space, you can imagine that's a bad situation," she said. On the other hand, she said, going to an uncrowded, open-air restaurant with a friend or two is a lower risk. Many states and cities have implemented capacity limits to eliminate the possibility of walking into a crowded restaurant altogether. New York City, for one, has limited indoor capacity to 50% or less at <a href="https://ny.eater.com/2020/3/12/21175439/coronavirus-nyc-restaurant-capacity-reduce">venues including bars and restaurants</a> that seat under 500 people. Venues higher than that capacity have been ordered to close.But the rules vary by jurisdiction and much is left up to restaurants and individual patrons. If you live somewhere that hasn't instituted similar guidelines, Malik suggested avoiding places where groups of people are huddled around the bar or high-tops, as well as restaurants that have waiting areas where patrons are hanging out while they wait for their table to be prepared. "It's wise at this time to avoid being in close contact with strangers for any extended period of time given the facts about how this virus is spread," he said. <h2>Not all social distancing shields are created equal</h2>Some restaurants are getting creative with their set-ups to encourage dining at a distance.In Amsterdam, for example, one restaurant built <a href="https://www.insider.com/amsterdam-restaurant-mini-greenhouses-cubicles-social-distance-2020-5">small greenhouses</a> on its waterfront to physically separate outdoor diners. A café in Germany went with a more whimsical solution: handing out <a href="https://www.insider.com/german-cafe-pool-noodles-social-distance-2020-5">hats with pool noodles attached</a> to ensure that customers sit at a safe distance.Indoor dining poses more of a challenge, but in France, some restaurants are investing in <a href="https://www.insider.com/a-restaurant-is-testing-plastic-shield-pods-keep-diners-safe-2020-5">lampshade-like plastic shields</a> that cover individual patrons while they eat. <a href="https://www.insider.com/ways-restaurants-are-getting-social-distancing-right-2020-5#hotpots-are-enjoyed-in-thailand-with-the-help-of-plastic-barriers-18">Plastic partitions</a> also make it possible for friends to sit at the same table while social distancing.But not all solutions have been effective; namely, <a href="https://www.insider.com/face-shields-did-not-protect-people-from-coronavirus-swiss-outbreak-2020-7">plastic face shields</a> failed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus at a hotel in Switzerland. Swiss health officials, echoed by the World Health Organization and Dr. Anthony Fauci, said that, when in doubt, masks and social distancing are the best measures you can take to stay healthy. <h2>You probably won't get COVID-19 from <keyword id="6181" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Food">food</keyword></h2>There's <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/frozen-food-unlikely-to-transmit-coronavirus-like-in-new-zealand-2020-8?r=US&amp;IR=TIR=T">currently little to no evidence</a> suggesting you can contract the coronavirus from <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/food-and-COVID-19.html">handling or consuming food or drinks</a>. COVID-19 is a respiratory illness, so it's primarily spread through droplets released when someone coughs, sneezes, or talks."People should not fear food, or food packaging or processing or delivery of food," WHO head of emergencies programme Mike Ryan <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-who/people-should-not-fear-spread-of-covid-19-in-food-packaging-who-idUSKCN2592D5">told a briefing</a> in Geneva on Aug. 13. "There is no evidence that food or the food chain is participating in transmission of this virus. And people should feel comfortable and safe."Still, you may want to stick with restaurants you trust to be smart about food safety."I'd recommend avoiding restaurants that have poor ratings from food inspections — those are restaurants you'd want to avoid anyway," Sue Ann Bell, an assistant professor at the University of Michigan School of Nursing and expert on the health effects of disasters, told Insider.The restaurant industry is <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-fears-mcdonalds-starbucks-close-2020-1">taking its own precautions</a> to help keep customers and staff safe, with some adding hand-sanitizing stations or signs reminding people to wash their hands and stay home if they're sick."Restaurants take care and concern practicing safe food preparation and handling under normal circumstances," Larry Lynch, senior vice president of science and industry for the National Restaurant Association, said in a statement to Insider. "State and local food codes establish strict safe food handling requirements for restaurants, and operators are being proactive by stepping up existing cleaning and sanitation procedures."<div type="image" title="ubereats delivery" height="1984" width="3000" msid="77545310" hostid="261"></div><h2>Consider your community and other options </h2>As with all coronavirus prevention protocols, it's not just about keeping yourself safe, it's about keeping your neighbors and community healthy too, Dunning stressed. So, on the one hand that may mean healthy young people should consider eating in to avoid being a vector of illness for someone more vulnerable; but on the other hand it could mean patronizing a local establishment to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/the-gig-economy-with-lack-of-sick-leave-spreading-coronavirus-2020-3">help lower-wage workers continue to get their paychecks</a>.If you're vulnerable to the illness or would rather stay in, you can still help your community by ordering from a favorite restaurant through a service like Door Dash or Uber Eats, Bell said. Or, Dunning suggested, call ahead to see if you can pick something up to eat at home or buy a gift certificate from the joint to use later. "We all want to do our part," Dunning said. <ul class="read-more-links"><li>Read more:</li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/what-does-social-distancing-mean-how-you-can-practice-it-2020-3">What 'social distancing' actually means, and how to know if you should cancel your plans during the coronavirus outbreak</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mcdonalds-workers-push-for-paid-sick-leave-as-coronavirus-spreads-2020-3">McDonald's restaurant workers push for paid sick leave and updated safety policies as coronavirus spreads across the US</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/coronavirus-help-acts-of-kindness-good-deeds">10 heartwarming ways everyday heroes are helping people affected by coronavirus</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/when-is-too-late-to-get-flu-shot-coronavirus-2020-3">Why you should still get the flu shot, even though it won't directly protect you from the coronavirus</a></li></ul>

You don't have to avoid restaurants, but there are some coronavirus risks you should be aware of

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Courtney Malenius, of Brooklyn, New York, and seven of her neighbors attended the season 46 premiere of <keyword id="5601" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="NBC">NBC</keyword>'s "<keyword id="31081" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="Saturday-Night-Live">Saturday Night Live</keyword>" last weekend.</li><li>The group had to self-administer rapid COVID-19 tests, remain separated in pods, and wear masks.</li><li>One public-health expert told Insider he would've attended the show given the safety precautions, while another said she wouldn't feel comfortable being inside for that long, even with masks and pods.</li><li>Following <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="coronavirus">coronavirus</keyword> guidelines that say TV programs can have live audiences consisting of employees, cast, and crew only, Malenius and her friends each got $150 for attending the taping.</li><li>"I didn't think we were being sneaky. Whether or not the show was, I don't know," Malenius said about the money.</li></ul>Courtney Malenius and seven of her neighbors piled into a couple of Uber XLs on Saturday to take the half-hour drive from downtown Brooklyn to midtown Manhattan.Amid the coronavirus pandemic that's shut down much of New York since March, the eight Brooklyn, New York residents decided to try to establish a sense of normality by attending the season 46 premiere of <a href="https://www.insider.com/saturday-night-live-fun-facts-2018-9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBC's "Saturday Night Live."</a>Once the epicenter of the pandemic — where more than <a href="https://www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/covid/covid-19-data.page">23,800 residents</a> have died from the virus — New York has taken a conservative approach to reopening businesses, even as the number of active cases in the city remains low. Broadway, for example, is still shuttered.Malenius has been cautious too."There was just some trepidation about getting to the city," the 38-year-old director of admissions at New York University's film school and self-proclaimed "die-hard 'SNL' fan," told Insider. "We decided that we would spend a little extra money and take a few Ubers together."Days before, Malenius had applied for tickets through a casting and fan-engagement agency called 1iota. The "SNL" webpage, which has since been taken down, had slots for groups of seven, eight, or nine people."First, I had to stop and think, 'Well, who am I close with that would feel comfortable in a close environment setting?'" she said.Malenius texted seven neighbors in her building — people she met through play dates for their dogs — to form an eight-person pod."We'd become even closer during quarantine because in the beginning we were doing our essential shopping trips together, sharing PPE, and other fun essential goods," she added.The admissions director received an email on Friday confirming they'd been chosen to attend the live taping inside <a href="https://www.insider.com/saturday-night-live-snl-season-46-guide-details-2020-9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Studio 8H</a>, where former "SNL" cast member Chris Rock served as guest host and <a href="https://www.insider.com/megan-thee-stallion-savage-snl-performance-video-2020-10" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Megan Thee Stallion performed</a>.The email contained forms that the group had to sign, indicating that they didn't knowingly have COVID-19, hadn't been around anyone who tested positive, and didn't have any tell-tale symptoms of the coronavirus.<div type="image" title="snl audience member courtney" height="3024" width="4032" msid="78553910" hostid="261"></div>The newly formed pod was required to self-administer a rapid COVID-19 test on arrival and receive a negative result before entering the studio.While inside, the pod adhered to social-distancing guidelines, keeping at least 6 feet away from guests outside their group and agreeing to wear masks throughout the taping — no bandanas, gators, or masks with vents were permitted.<keyword id="6354750" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="health">Health</keyword> experts told Insider they had mixed feelings about these precautions, which <a href="https://www.governor.ny.gov/sites/governor.ny.gov/files/atoms/files/MediaProduction_MasterGuidance.pdf">were in line with New York's state media-production health guidelines</a> for the pandemic. The social pods, they agreed, were a good idea. "If you're podding people with people they've already interacted with, you're doing rapid tests, and you're doing some symptom screening, it does limit the risk," Dr. Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security, told Insider.As a "very risk-tolerant person" and a doctor who cares for patients with the virus, Adalja said he'd certainly go to a show like this if given the chance."If you want something to have zero risk, you're not going to find it for the next two years. So you have to find things that are going to reduce the harm of the virus. And I think these types of measures are reasonable," he added.But epidemiologist and Virginia Tech professor Lisa Lee, a former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention public-health expert, said the precautions at "SNL" wouldn't be enough for her to consider risking it. "It's a 90-minute show," she told Insider. "That's a long time to be in the same space with other people if you don't have to be."Malenius recognized the show wasn't a risk-free evening out on the town, but she felt reassured by the orderly atmosphere and because no one was "doing the chin masks.""We see mask-wearing as a sign of respect," she said. "This was a big moment to say, 'OK, we're trying something new, and we're the guinea pigs a little bit.' But we feel good about it because everyone around us was taking it as seriously as we were."With 24 hours until showtime, Malenius, who previously had to sleep on the 49th Street sidewalk to secure tickets to two "SNL" dress rehearsals, used the time to make handmade masks with "SNL" quotes on them for her pod.<h2>'It was like the first time we had plans to go out'</h2><div type="image" title="snl audience member courtney" height="1429" width="1429" msid="78553918" hostid="261"></div>Before walking through the 30 Rockefeller Plaza doors, the New York home of NBC, Malenius said there was some nervousness about the experience. Several of her friends decided to wear <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-best-face-mask-coronavirus-protection-2020-7">N95 masks</a> underneath their decorative ones to be extra safe. "So many of us have been cooped up for many a month," she said. "For us, it was like the first time we had plans to go out."As they entered the lobby, full of excitement mixed with anxiety, they were instructed by NBC employees to stand apart from the other pods."I think if we had arrived and the lobby felt chaotic, or people … weren't observing the rules, I think we would have maybe said, 'I don't know if I want to hang out for another three hours," Malenius said.The NBC pages, milling around, were wearing masks and face shields, and the staff made the process seamless, she added.Malenius' group was eventually shuffled through the lobby, all receiving wristbands named after an "SNL" character. On her wrist dangled the name "Dooneese," the name of former cast member Kristen Wiig's recurring character.Inside, they migrated to the NBC merchandise store where their COVID-19 test awaited.<h2>Medical personnel helped them self-administer a COVID-19 test</h2>A plastic bag held Malenius' rapid COVID-19 test, which she was instructed to self-administer. Medical professionals sat on the other side of plexiglass barriers, offering instructions on how to do it properly.Malenius, who was familiar with the process already, having self-administered this kind of test before, said she was told to hold the swab in each nostril for 15 seconds — after sticking it 1.5 inches up.Lee said she saw this use of rapid tests as somewhat futile."Those tests would likely screen out people who were very sick," the professor and health expert said. "The problem is they don't screen out people ... just starting their infection."But Adalja said he felt a scenario like this, where people remained at a distance and wore masks, warranted it."You're not asking, 'Are they sick?' You're asking, 'Are they contagious to others?' And that's where I think contagiousness tests, like these antigen tests, have a role," he said.Some of Malenius' neighbors and friends, who had never self-administered such tests, were "afraid" of how deep they'd need to push the swab up their nose.Perhaps they'd heard some of the horror stories about the more invasive (and more accurate) laboratory <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-coronavirus-throat-tests-work-rt-pcr-method-explained-2020-4">RT-PCR</a> tests for COVID-19, which go much further into the nose and throat, and can even <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-the-coronavirus-test-makes-some-people-faint-2020-4">make people faint</a>."I think once they all had done it, they were like, 'Well, that was easy,'" she said.It took all of 15 minutes to learn that Team Dooneese's results were all negative. They were a step closer to walking into Studio 8H.<h2>Despite precautions, there were blips</h2><div type="image" title="snl audience member courtney" height="1429" width="1902" msid="78553922" hostid="261"></div>After waiting in the Peacock Lounge, the group was escorted to their seats on the mezzanine by an NBC employee. Malenius said her pod sat "a good deal" from other pods — 6 feet apart, in accordance with the New York State Department of Health.The groups filed in one by one, but Malenius said there was a bit of confusion when the employees accidentally filled the audience into the studio in the wrong order. "At one point they realized they had loaded in the studio, almost like how in a plane when you load people in ... from the back first and then the front," she said. "They realized they had done it incorrectly and loaded the people in the front end first. And then they had to get people past them to get to their seats."Malenius' pod was asked to leave their seats and move aside while other pods walked in, to avoid close contact. Still, the director said she was "impressed by the level of professionalism and the kindness of the pages and the people that were assigned to each station."At one point, she asked to leave her pod's "designated area" to throw away a water bottle. An employee returned shortly after, carrying a trash can.Malenius also noted that NBC employees limited the number of people in the bathroom "to keep the density down" in a confined space.During the premiere, many <a href="https://www.insider.com/vintage-1970s-photos-saturday-night-live-2020-9">"SNL" cast members</a> wore masks until moments before the cameras started rolling, quickly tossing them to a crew member before the sketch began, the director recalled. Lorne Michaels, the show's creator and longtime executive producer, wore a mask while checking in on the cast and crew throughout production."He would walk from skit to skit and give a thumbs-up to all the actors just to check in and make sure that they felt good before the cameras were rolling. And I just really appreciated that," she said. "I was like, 'He's running the ship.'"<h2>Malenius and her neighbors got checks for $150 on their way out</h2><div type="image" title="snl check" height="256" width="1118" msid="78553928" hostid="261"></div>When the Studio 8H lights came on, Malenius said she was so focused on making it to the gift shop in time she barely thought about the envelope an NBC employee handed her on the way out."We all just assumed it was a copy of our COVID results," she said.It wasn't until one of the group members opened the envelope and screamed that the rest of them looked inside. Each had received a check from Universal <keyword id="6357922" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Television">Television</keyword>. Malenius said the check had her name on it with her address listed as "30 Rockefeller Plaza."In June, the state had released <a href="https://www.governor.ny.gov/sites/governor.ny.gov/files/atoms/files/MediaProduction_MasterGuidance.pdf">guidelines for media productions</a> that prohibited live audiences unless they consisted "paid employees, cast, and crew."The guidelines said that should employees, cast, and crew stand in for a live audience, there could be no more than 100 people or 25% of audience capacity, requiring them to abide by whichever number was lower. Guests also had be 6 feet apart in all directions.Jonah Bruno, the director of public information at the New York State Department of Health, confirmed to Insider that "SNL" followed the reopening guidelines by finding audience members through a "third-party screening and casting process" and paying them for their time as audience members.An NBC source also told Insider the show was "working very closely with the DOH and following all of their guidelines.""There is no evidence of non-compliance — but if any is discovered, we will refer that to local authorities for follow up," Bruno said in a statement to Insider."I didn't think we were being sneaky. Whether or not the show was, I don't know," Malenius said about the money. "But it's a clever work-around, if they did have to do that."<h2>Malenius is already trying to go back to the studio audience</h2><div type="image" title="snl audience member courtney" height="2320" width="3088" msid="78553935" hostid="261"></div>After being in the audience for "SNL's" <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/saturday-night-live-has-best-season-opener-since-2016-2020-10">most-watched season premiere in four years</a>, Team Dooneese took their Ubers back to Brooklyn. Malenius said she's already checking the 1iota site "religiously" to reapply. "I mean, now that we've been, we were like, 'We want to come every week. We've got the masks. Why not? We've got nothing else on our calendars,'" she told Insider. After months of quarantining, she's hopeful that "SNL" can continue to have live audiences, even though the portal she applied through seems to have disappeared. "I don't want New York to let its guard down because our numbers are starting to tick back up. I don't want to send an irresponsible message, but it did feel like we as a city … worked really hard to be able to get the numbers to where they were," she said. While she and her seven neighbors sat in Studio 8H watching their first live performance in months, Malenius said they couldn't help but smile under their masks. "I really likened it to the first episode after 9/11 when Giuliani came on. And as someone who lived in New York during 9/11, I felt like that episode was really pivotal in sending the message that the city is in a rebirth sort of phase," she said. "That's how I felt about going to the first episode of 'SNL.'"

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