The Ministry of Home Affairs has permitted the reopening of theatres with mask mandate in place and at a 50% seating capacity. Guidelines for the same were issued by the Ministry. Union I&B Minister Prakash Javadekar said that face masks will be mandatory inside the cinema halls and while watching the movie, and alternate seats will be left vacant for physical distancing. Seats that are not to be occupied shall be marked as such, the minister said.
Show timings of the screenings will also be staggered and a sufficient number of box office counters shall be opened to avoid overcrowding, the ministry has said. They have also advised the audience to avoid movement during the intermission. Only packed and sealed food is to be sold in the food and beverage counters, and no delivery will be permitted inside the auditorium.
Furthermore, according to the new guidelines issued by the Union ministry of information and broadcasting, cinema halls are allowed to operate with 50% occupancy so as to maintain adequate physical distance between people. “Seats not to be occupied” have to be marked for the purpose.
There have also been regulations imposed on the AC temperature, and it is to be kept between 24 degrees and 30 degrees Celsius. The guidelines also mandate a compulsory mask and social distancing announcement before, during and after the interval.