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Ministry recommends installation of special air filters at cinemas
– as reopening discussion continues
By Sueann Wickham
The MovieTowne complex.
A Caribbean Cinemas’ theatre in the Giftland Mall.
Kaieteur News – The reopening of movie theatres (cinemas) was among the issues addressed by the Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony, during his COVID-19 update, yesterday.
Dr. Anthony was questioned about the delay in reopening the cinemas, given that a number of other businesses, including bars, have been approved for reopening.
But Minister Anthony yesterday made it clear that indoor environments are risky places to be during the COVID-19 pandemic, since there is a high chance of persons contracting the virus. In further expounding, he said that if persons are in a crowded indoor cinema, it will pose a public health hazard.
In December of last year the Caribbean Cinemas and MovieTowne joined forces to express their disappointment in government’s decision to keep indoor cinemas closed, lamenting that it is creating “unprecedented economic hardship” for them and their employees.
Notably, cinemas would have been closed since March 2020 after Guyana recorded its first set of COVID-19 infections. To date, none of the published official gazettes of COVID-19 measures has given the green light for indoor cinemas; however, amendments were made for outdoor drive-in cinemas.
The cinemas also highlighted that other countries in the West Indies and the Caribbean would have authorized the reopening of cinemas. In their joint statement they claimed that, according to international studies, cinemas proved to be low-risk areas for COVID-19 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,” it was stated.
During the update yesterday, Dr. Anthony said that the Health Ministry has engaged with cinema owners and it had teams assess the cinema spaces. Following the assessments, the officials recommended that High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters be installed in the cinemas. “If somebody comes to the cinema and they have been infected and they are asymptomatic and they cough, then these HEPA filters would be able to clear out the viral particles,” Dr. Anthony noted.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “HEPA filters are even more efficient at capturing particles larger and smaller than the MPPS (Most Penetrating Particle Size). Thus, HEPA filters are no less than 99.97 percent efficient at capturing human-generated viral particles associated with SARS-CoV-2.”
Further, since the recommendations were made, the Minister said that he is unaware as to whether any cinema has installed such filters. As such, he said, the Ministry will have to conduct another engagement with the cinemas to see if they have installed, or will be installing the HEPA filters.
Dr. Anthony also stated that if the government moves to reopen cinemas, it would be preferred that persons refrain from eating and drinking in the cinemas because it would require the removal of their masks.
The cinemas had listed safety protocols they have in place if granted permission for reopening and these include: 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.
The Caribbean Cinemas had attempted to reopen on August 14 last year, but could not due to strict objection by the authorities.
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