Theaters Outside New York City To Reopen At 25% Capacity: Governor Cuomo

By Maria Caspani

NEW YORK, Oct 17 (Reuters) – Theaters outside of New York City may reopen on October 23 after a months-long hiatus caused by the coronavirus, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said on Saturday.

Rooms will be required to limit capacity to 25% with a maximum of 50 people per screen, and only in counties that have a positivity rate below 2% on the 14-day average and no areas where sets of infections are reported Cuomo assured.

Spectators must wear face masks except when sitting and eating or drinking. Enclosures will be required to meet improved standards for air filtration and ventilation.

The governor announced the move in a briefing on Saturday in which he said New York was making progress in the fight against COVID-19 “clusters” in certain areas of the state, including Brooklyn and Queens in New York City.

“The strategy is working,” Cuomo said, noting the decline in positivity rates in the so-called “red zones.” “Not just the microgroups, the entire state strategy is working.”

Cuomo has come under pressure from theater operators for not allowing a faster reopening. Last week, the executive committee of the Global Film Federation, which represents film operators and other industry leaders globally, sent a letter to the Democratic governor asking him to reverse his decision to keep theaters closed.

Theater operators are collapsing under the financial pressure brought on by the pandemic.

Attendance at the world’s largest theater chain, AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc, has plunged 85% from last year since its cinemas reopened after restrictions were relaxed in some states, according to the company.

With the pandemic changing consumer behavior globally, more viewers are being drawn to digital video services as people spend more time at home due to movement restrictions and the shift to working from home.

(Report by Maria Caspani, Edited in Spanish by Manuel Farías)

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