WORCESTER, Mass. - With COVD-19 restrictions being lifted Whiskey on Water is opening its doors for the first time in more than a year. The owners say they’re ready for customers. 

The club has been closed for about 14 months. 

“The restrictions that were placed on businesses especially like ours to try to run a business that 25% capacity, 50% capacity is really basically impossible in my eyes to do effectively,” Owner Michael Erlich said. “So you can imagine how pumped everybody is to get back in business.” 

The business was considering opening on a smaller scale, but then the state announced it’s lifting capacity restrictions for all businesses on Saturday. So, this weekend people can get a drink without buying food and can return to the dance floor.  

“This was like a gift from the Governor,” Erlich said. “At midnight, when the 29th dongs, in the bar, it's gonna be probably pretty crazy upstairs.” 

Rascals is another business excited to get back in rhythm. The line dancing bar had been closed for more than a year, after being open for just a few months.

“It's devastating to take 14 months off,” said Rascals co-ower Chris Goodney. “No business is planned for a 14 month shutdown. My partner and I were just very lucky that we were just able to pay what we could pay and survive on other means for the time being.”

The bar has been able to offer fitness line dancing classes, but they’re ready to get more people dancing on weekends.

“It’s going to be good to back to 100% opening and not worrying about whether or not you're following every one of the protocols,” Goodney said. “It’s going to be nice to not have on us policing masks on the business owners. “ 

People who are fully vaccinated won’t have to wear their masks in most places, but businesses can enforce their own rules. At the DCU center mask-wearing will be on the honor system. The Staff will keep wearing their masks through June. 

“People who have been vaccinated, we still encourage them to wear masks, but they're not required to,” said DCU Center general manager Sandy Dunn.

The yellow tape on seats is coming down too. The arena will be at 100%  capacity for the Massachusetts Pirates game next week. 

Dunn said, “It'll be terrific to have that kind of energy back in the building.” 

An energy lots of businesses are feeling this weekend.