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Although the coronavirus pandemic continues to grow across the country, cinemas continue their plans to reopen, but the film’s party will likely be a little different for some time.
The National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) has brought a set of protection and fitness protocols, called ‘CinemaSafe’, which encourages cinemas to adopt when they reopen. NATO states that these voluntary protocols, which come with the requirement of a mask (although they can be eliminated shortly to consume food and beverage), reduced capacity and increased ventilation in auditoriums, and the sale of virtual tickets, will ensure the protection of the customer opposite COVID-19.
“In this new pandemic world, moviegoers want to know that there is a coherent set, based on science and the delight of existing protection and fitness protocols, regardless of the cinema they are visiting. This unprecedented effort across the industry is a promise designed to meet the need,” NATO Chief John Fithian said Friday at a press convention in delivering the measures.
Most American cinemas have remained closed since March, when the coronavirus first hit the country with full force and caused a national closure. But with a harvest of new big-screen releases in a few weeks, The New Mutants and Christopher Nolan’s Tenet, theaters have already begun to reopen. In a show of solidarity, the leaders of several primary theater chains, AMC, Cinemark, Regal and Marcus, joined the press convention to promote their confidence in CinemaSafe protocols.
“Our main message to consumers is: “Go back to the theaters you love because they’re safe,” said Mooky Greidinger, CEO of parent company Regal Cineworld.
The protocols were developed over several months in consultation with epidemiologists, adding Dr. David Goldsmith of the Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington University and Dr. Joyce Sanchez of the Medical College of Wisconsin. Goldsmith and Sanchez also joined the press conference, emphasizing that while “going to the videos is not without threats,” in Sanchez’s words, assistance with the rules mitigates the threat of COVID-19.
“There have been no published discoveries that show a link between going to see a movie and contracting COVID-19,” Goldsmith said. “According to all the literature I’ve seen, there’s no evidence to attend a filmArray … become a more complicated business executive than going to a restaurant, buying food or even going to a meeting.”
“The first thing I would propose is to honor the people around you and respect existing policies,” Sanchez added, and also urged potential viewers to “consider the status of the pandemic in their own local communities” before making a decision. go to the theater.
CinemaSafe protocols also come with concession booths authorized to minimize contact between workers and customers, advanced cleaning to disinfect auditoriums between screenings, and a “liberal” placement of hand sanitizer in movie theaters.
Responding to considerations of the application of rules such as the mask mandate, cinema managers became convinced that the moviegoers would comply with those regulations. “Our consumers have told us loudly and transparently that [very encouraging masks] are not enough,” said Adam Aron, AMC’s chief executive. “It’s easy to apply this policy, because that’s what moviegoers want.”
Mark Zoradi, ceo of Cinemark, which has already opened more than a hundred locations across the country, said the crackdown on masks is “a very minor or nonexistent problem.” “I think the customer understands the stage right now,” he said. “If you enter a public retail environment, you need a mask.”
Zoradi added that, whatever the risk, consumers obviously need to go back to the videos and watch them on the big screen. “Customers should go back to the videos,” he said. “They are very pleased to come back and share a cinematic experience.”
For the latest data on coronavirus (COVID-19), add how to do it and what to do if you think you might be sick, visit coronavirus.gov.
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