New Delhi: Now the wait for moviegoers at the theater is over. After allowing the Ministry of Home Affairs to open cinema halls and theaters to their full potential, a Standard Operating Procedure-SOP has been issued for the same. Accordingly, cinema halls and theaters can be opened with 100 percent capacity but were directed to deal with crowds in the common area within and outside the cinema halls or theaters, maintain social distance and make all special arrangements under Covid norms.
According to the Ministry’s SOP, it will be mandatory to always keep a distance of 6 feet between people in the hall, waiting room, and common area, even outside the cinema hall or theater. Entrants inside the hall will be required to wear a face mask for the entire time.
It will be mandatory to have a hand sanitizer at the entry and exit points of the hall and the general area. Instructions have also been given to people coming to the cinema. For example, while coughing or sneezing, they have to put tissue paper or handkerchiefs on their face and especially mouth and nose and put tissue paper in dustbin.
As per the guidelines, spitting of people inside or outside the cinema hall will be banned and it will be mandatory to have the Arogya Setu App in the phone. Instructions have been given to clean the cinema hall, multiplex and theater after each show. Orders have been placed to fully digitalize tickets and payment. According to the SOP, cinema hall managers have to paste posters of ‘when to do, what not to do’ to make people aware.
The Union Home Ministry on Wednesday allowed cinema halls and theaters to continue to operate with greater capacity under the new guidelines related to Covid-19, while the swimming pool was also approved to open to all. This new guideline will be applicable from 1 February. According to this, there will be no restriction on movement within states or from one state to another. No permission will be required for this.