Cinema halls will be allowed with 50 % seating capacity, only packaged food allowed: I & B Ministry new SOPs
New Delhi: The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting issued SOPs on Tuesday, allowing 50% seating capacity in cinema halls, which means alternative seats to sit. The I &B Minister Prakash Javadekar said we have issued SOPs as per our discussion with the Ministry of Health.
With cinemas set to reopen in several states from October 15th after a six month break due to the Covid- 19 pandemic, the Ministry of I &B has issued certain SOPs that cinemas and viewers will have to follow. Airing PSAs or announcements about wearing mask will be mandatory before the film and after the interval. As per the SOPs, you can no longer have food delivered to your seat and will have to get it yourself at the counter, and sitting next to friends and family will mean sitting a seat apart.
Moviegoers will be encouraged to use digit routes for ordering food and will also have to say goodbye to the elaborate menus as only packaged food and beverages will be allowed. Multiplexes will have staggered shows to ensure frequent sanitization, which means back to back shows. Furthermore, the commencement time, interval and end time of two shows at a multiplex cannot coincide avoid crowding.
The I & B Ministry issued SOPs given below:
- Advance booking tickets
- Digital payments will be encouraged
- Maximum 50% occupancy in the cinema halls allowed
- Alternate seats have to be marked as ‘Not to be occupied to maintain social distancing’
- Only asymptotic persons will be allowed
- Only packaged food and beverages allowed
- Delivery of food and beverage inside the hall/ auditorium not allowed, you will have to go to the counter to place an order
- Staggered show timings
- Queue makers for entry and exit from the auditorium and premises
- Entry and exit to be done in staggered row wise manner to avoid crowding
- Longer intermissions to allow audiences to move in a staggered manner
- Sufficient time gap between successive screenings at each screen as well as across screens in a multiplex
- Cinemas/ theatres/ multiplexes auditorium shall be sanitized after every screening
- Management shall ensure the observance of physical distancing and prevent crowding in the food and beverage area