Is it safe to watch movies when the theaters re-open?

All thought the movie theaters are opening but the big question in every movie goers mind is. How safe is it to watch a movie in the theater amidst the pandemic?

Multiplexes are planning to re-open the theaters, some of the biggest theater companies will run shows. The theater companies are thinking that they have got this covered and the guidelines are almost identical.

Some of the guidelines are accurate and perfect.

However, the masks will be made compulsory, and sanitizers will be kept everywhere. There will be regular tests which the employees will have to undergo. The theater companies will have a limited occupancy for every show. Cinemas have been rigorous in cutting down the seating capacity to 30 percent. While some of the other theater companies are keeping the seating capacity to about 50 percent. 

There have been promises made by the theater companies. Fresh air will be available for the movie goers so that they don’t breathe circulated air. There are no such guidelines to recycle fresh air in the theaters1 but US based Regal cinemas are making such arrangements for the movie goers. The cooling system in the Regal cinema will have the MERV 13 air filters. Is it a good thing to do? Well certainly not as the air filters can capture the airborne virus, but there has been shortage of the supplies.  This certainly raises questions that do the movies theater need them when there are other places such as schools and government offices also in need?

Extra emphasis is paid on the cleaning protocols along with the sanitization of the common surfaces that are touched by people. Those are decent precautions to be unquestionable that make sense. The theatres are full of surface that are touched by people, and while everybody should be making sure not to touch their face when they are in public places. Cleaning the surfaces and having enough sanitizer does ensure maximum protection.

Are the Theatres Really Opening again?

These guidelines are of a great help in curbing the COVID-19 spread from person to- person spread, which is the main transmission trajectory for the disease. 

Evidences show that the standard six feet social distancing does not guarantee to protect against the airborne transmission. It is a smart move to reduce the seating occupancy in theaters. On the other hand, selling refreshments and being lenient to the moviegoers if they are taking their masks off is not. 

The theaters will be starting their refreshment stands on the first day. The menus will be limited and there will be not refilling of popcorn/beverages. But it should be known that any one can enter the theater, purchase a large tub of popcorn, take their masks off thorough the entire duration of the movie. This will put all of them in the theater at risk.

Going to a movie theater is an act of thrust in these times of pandemic. The movie goers trust the theater companies to protect all of them who watch the movies in the theater, and the theater will trust the viewers to be considerate for the business and the fellow persons watching movie. 

The best thing the theaters can do is have some common sense. Close the refreshment stands. The employees should wear night vision goggles to determine bootleggers and maintain a no tolerance policy for any one who is refusing to put on the masks.

In this pandemic your best bet is to completely avoid the theaters. Drive in theaters are growing and the outdoor screenings are also on the rise. When there are several options then it is better not to put yourself at risk. And when this pandemic will get over the movies will still be there.