Chinese film authorities announced in March that they would reopen cinemas. (Representative)
China:
Most Chinese cinemas will be allowed to reopen next week with social distancing rules after months of coronavirus closures, authorities said on Thursday, with domestic infections remaining at zero for 10 consecutive days.
Movie theaters in “low-risk” areas of the country can resume operations on July 20, but must filter customer fevers and impose the wearing of masks, the China Film Administration said.
Cinemas are also required to sell tickets for no more than 30 percent of available seats at each screening, and must keep groups of moviegoers at least one meter (about three feet) away, the administration said.
Chinese film officials announced in March that they would reopen cinemas that have been closed since late January, but quickly overturned the decision the same month after discovering new clusters of cases across the country.
China reported only one new case of the virus imported from overseas on Thursday and most of the country is classified as “low risk” for virus outbreaks.
Cinemas have suffered a severe blow to profits this year as they are among the last companies to reopen, even as new infections decline and the country slowly returns to normal.
The country’s largest movie channel, Wanda Film, announced on Wednesday that it plans to lose at least 1.5 billion yuan ($ 214 million) in the first half of the year.
(With the exception of the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
