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Caribbean Cinemas, MovieTowne irked by Govt.’s refusal to reopen cinemas
Caribbean Cinemas at the Giftland Mall
Movietowne
Kaieteur News – Caribbean Cinemas and MovieTowne recently joined forces to express their disappointment in Government’s decision to keep indoor cinemas closed throughout this month.
In a joint statement, they said that Government’s extension of the closure is creating “unprecedented economic hardship” for them and their employees as the cinemas would have been closed since March due to the novel coronavirus. The cinemas also said that other countries in the West Indies and the Caribbean would have authorized the reopening of cinemas but Guyana has not.
In the Gazetted COVID-19 measures for the month of December, the government said that movie theatres are to remain closed. However, special provisions were made to allow outdoor drive-in cinemas.
But according to the disgruntled entities, international studies show that cinemas are low-risk areas for transmission. “Movie theatres are an indoor business where consumers engage in a sedentary and quiet activity. Specifically, guests sit in a theatre, all facing the same direction, wearing face masks, and discouraged from speaking,” they said in their statement.
The cinemas referenced Jade Flinn, a faculty member at Johns Hopkins Medicine, who has deemed movie theatres safer than bar environments.
Flinn, who also trains nurses at the organization’s Biocontainment Unit, said, “In a setting where we’re not talking, we’re just passively breathing and wearing masks, it might be a safer bet than a noisy, crowded bar. At movie theatres, if you’re not eating popcorn, you’re just sitting there with your mask on.”
They further outlined that both cinemas have implemented protocols that fall under ‘CinemaSafe,’ which is a programme launched by the National Association of Theatre Owners. These protocols, they said, are in line with health and safety protocols from the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization.
It was also stated that the protocols were developed over several months by a team of industry experts, and consultations with leading epidemiologists were made to support a safe return to movie theatres.
Among the safety protocols listed by the cinemas are: requirements for face masks from every employee and patron except when eating; appropriate physical distancing being maintained between patrons, except members of the same household or those who attend together, and a reduced auditorium capacity of 50 percent, leaving seats and empty rows between parties.
Notably, Caribbean Cinemas had attempted to reopen their cinemas on August 14 last, but could not due to strict objection by the authorities.
Pic filed as C1-1
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