Cinema halls and theatres, shut since March 2020, were reopened in November last year. However, they were closed again in April 2021 after the second coronavirus wave hit Maharashtra. 

However, people will have to follow the Covid-19 guidelines as issued by the state government. The Maharashtra government took the decision to reopen the cinema halls which were closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic as the numbers of Covid-19 cases are coming down in the state.

Covid-19 guidelines for cinema halls, theatres and auditoriums:

-Only 50% of the seating capacity of people will be allowed to enter the cinema halls, auditoriums and drama theaters.

-Show times of cinema halls will have to be “staggered”, and the sale of only packaged food and beverages will be allowed. Food and beverages can not be taken inside the screening auditorium. 

-Cinema-goers will be required to wear masks. Sanitizers should be available inside the halls, toilets and in other places. Spitting should not be allowed anywhere on the premises.

-Thermal check-up will be mandatory at the entry. “Spectators must have been vaccinated against COVID-19 or their health status on the Aarogya Setu app must show as safe,” according to the SOP. 

-Air conditioning in cinema halls should be set at temperatures between 24 to 30 degrees Celsius and humidity levels between 40 to 70 per cent. 

“Owners have been facing multiple challenges. They are paying a minimum electricity bill of  ₹11,000 per week, salaries and property taxes. We are hopeful that the Maharashtra government will provide some relief. We are expecting cinemas to open completely on November 5 with an Akshay Kumar movie. Nearly 30% of the cinema halls are not likely to open at all due to the losses incurred,” said Nitin Datar, president, Cinema Owners and Exhibitors Association of India, as quoted by HT.

Cinema owners have to adhere to a detailed standard operating procedure (SOP). Associations, however, said sticking to the SOP would be difficult and crowding could be an issue outside the canteen area and near the booking offices. “The SOP will be difficult to follow as no food is allowed inside the cinema halls and people will have to step outside during the interval. This would result in crowding outside the canteen premises. Advance booking is difficult for single-screen theatres and can result in crowding. We should be given police protection,” added Datar.

“We are ready to reopen cinema halls. A detailed discussion and a plan to implement coronavirus protocols have been devised by our managing director Arun Nahar. We have received 18 advance bookings for movies and will begin screenings from Friday. In order to ensure proper ventilation, windows in all our halls will be kept open. We will wait and watch,” said Manoj Desai, executive director, G7 Multiplex and Maratha Mandir Cinema.

Meanwhile, Mumbai on Thursday reported 429 new coronavirus positive cases and five deaths, taking the infection tally to 7,52,386 and toll to 16,197, a civil official said. This is for the second day in a row that the metropolis has reported more than 400 cases. On Wednesday, it had witnessed 463 cases and four fatalities.