New Delhi: Union Government has announced fresh guidelines as part of the phased ease of restrictions of the Covid- 19 lock down on Sunday, the Movie theatres across India will be allowed to function with 100 per cent occupancy from Monday.

Multiplexes and cinema halls were allowed only 50 per cent occupancy so far to maintain social distancing and avoid crowds as the pandemic raged. The Government issued the revised SOP for the film exhibition, 100% occupancy will be allowed in theatres from 1st February, but all @MoHFW_INDIA#COVID19 guidelines will have to be followed. The move has been welcomed by many and comes as a relief to cinema halls that were closed for nearly seven months last year due to the pandemic. The number of Covid- 19 cases has also seen a decline in the past weeks as the Centre’s decision comes into force. The Producers Guild of India, a prominent film body, also welcomed the decision.

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has however issued a set of SOPs for cinema halls to prevent the spread of the deadly virus.

• Wearing masks, temperature checks and thermal screening are mandatory at the theatres.
• There will be staggered show timings and seats will be separated.
• Social distancing will be mandatory and hand sanitizers should be made available at the premises.
• Spitting shall be strictly prohibited.
• Contact numbers will be taken during booking of tickets to facilitate contact tracing.
• Number of people in elevators to be restricted; exit from the theatre should be in a staggered, row wise manner to prevent crowds.
• Digital payments will be encouraged.
• The theatre has to be sanitised after every screening; frequent sanitization of common areas needs to ensure.
• Sanitization staff to wear PPE kits for their safety.
• Safe disposal of food and beverage waste has to be ensured by the theatre.
• No movies can be screened in containment zones.

Cinema halls in several parts of the country started reopening from October, months in the shadow of the pandemic with 50 per cent occupancy. Even after reopening they have been struggling with low audience attendance and very few new film offerings.