COVID-19 Guidelines: Centre Allows ‘House Full’ For Cinema Halls

New Delhi: Starting February 1, full occupancy will be allowed in cinema halls with adherence to COVID-19 protocols, Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Minister Prakash Javadekar said on Sunday.

This is part of the revised guidelines on COVID-19 released by the Union Home Ministry, Javadekar said.

Terming the decision as “good news” for cinema lovers, the minister said, “Online booking of tickets will be encouraged.”

Besides, all cinema halls and theatres will ensure COVID-19 protocols including social distancing, face mask, sanitisation, installation of Aarogya Setu App and thermal screening at entry-exit points, news agency ANI reported.

These measures should be observed all the time. The exhibition of films shall be allowed in containment zones. The States or Union Territories may consider proposing additional measures as per their field assessment, the guidelines stated.

“No-contact transactions should be the most preferred mode for tickets, food, and beverages. Contact number shall be taken at the time of booking of tickets to facilitate contact tracing,” the guidelines added.

In its last set of guidelines issued earlier in January, the government had allowed cinema halls to operate at a higher capacity.

In October 2020, the Centre had allowed cinema halls to operate at 50 per cent seating capacity.

Notably, cinemas and theatres across the country were shut for several months during the COVID-19 lockdown.

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