Maurice noted, enforcement could be an issue: “You may get pushback and a lot of these employees are teenagers and may not feel comfortable correcting an adult. “You don’t have people facing each other.” The duration of attendance helps mitigate risk, he added, as opposed to in a restaurant or bar, where “people finish eating, and they get up and leave, more people.”Ĭinemark has added employees whose sole job it is to make sure staff and patrons are following COVID-19 rules, Brashears said.
HOW MANY STEP UP MOVIES ARE THERE MOVIE
“The activity within a movie theater is very different from what you have at a bar or a restaurant,” Corcoran countered. Benjamin invoked the CDC’s definition of “ community-related exposure” to infected individuals, even asymptomatic ones: “within six feet for a total of 15 minutes or more.” In such cases, the CDC recommends those exposed “stay home until 14 days after last exposure,” entering quarantine protocols. The health experts expressed concern that even proper social distancing might not be enough protection for a long period of exposure (say an average visit of two hours) to people who are not wearing masks. Maurice, a physician who specializes in pediatrics and infectious disease and is the cochief infection prevention officer for UCLA Health, agreed: “How often are they going to pull the mask back up? And movies make you laugh and shout.” And of course, when you do that, if you’re infected, you will expel virus.” Especially, he noted, if you laugh or scream at the movie.ĭe St. CinemaSafe guidelines state, however, “Face coverings may be removed for the limited purpose and limited time period necessary to consume food and beverages, if approved by state or local health authorities.”īenjamin, an internal medicine specialist and Maryland’s former secretary of health, said, “Just like in a restaurant, you take a mask off to eat popcorn or drink, etc. Mask mandatesĮveryone interviewed for this article agreed mask wearing was key. Once inside, though, the hazards increase, they agreed, mostly because of choices patrons make. The experts praised many of the industry’s safety measures up to the point of entering the auditorium. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Assn. To help unpack this debate, The Times spoke with two industry spokespeople - Corcoran and Chanda Brashears, vice president of investor relations and public relations of Cinemark Theaters and three public health experts - Chin-Hong, Dr.
it’s probably going to be a relatively safe environment.” “If you have a well-ventilated movie theater and people keep their masks on for the whole time and they are socially distant, and you don’t go to the movies when you’re sick. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease specialist at UC San Francisco. “The guidance looks great on paper,” said Dr.
“There have been people who have worked at movie theaters or who have attended movie theaters who have had it, but it hasn’t been passed on to others in that environment through any tracing.” of Theater Owners, which introduced the “ CinemaSafe” program that theaters can opt into. but anywhere in the world,” said Patrick Corcoran, vice president and chief communications officer of the National Assn. They say no outbreaks have yet been traced back to movie attendance. The argument from the exhibition industry to keep theaters open relies on confidence in the COVID-19 protocols theaters are putting in place - including mask mandates, enhanced cleaning, automatic seating gaps between parties, limited auditorium capacity, staggered showtimes and other measures. In many other states, the question remains: With the national totals surpassing 12 million infections, more than 255,000 Americans dead and daily numbers surging to record highs, just how risky is it to see a movie indoors? Even when these restrictions lift, the industry will be anxious to reopen safely. Gavin Newsom pulled the “emergency brake” on the rest of the state last week, shutting down many indoor businesses in California, including most movie theaters. Indoor theaters have been closed in Los Angeles County since mid-March, and Gov. Remember what it was like going out to see a movie?Įven though movie theaters have implemented protocols to protect guests and staff during the COVID-19 pandemic, and many of the measures have been met with praise from experts, the exhibition industry remains in a state of crisis.
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