Over 76% netizens not in favour of re-opening cinema halls in Unlock 3.0: Moneycontrol survey

As India is approaching Unlock 3.0, the Centre is reportedly mulling over opening cinema halls. Moneycontrol conducted an online survey to find out if people are ready to hit the theatres in the case they do open during Unlock 3.0, which is slated to begin August 1 onwards.

Over 76 percent netizens are of the belief that it is too soon to go to theatres as of now, and that they will not go to cinema halls even if social distancing and other safety norms are followed.

Meanwhile, only 23 percent netizens said that they were ready to go to movie halls, and that it was time to move on.

Some netizens were also of the view that they might go to cinema halls only if it was full to 25 percent capacity.

Earlier, an association of cinema halls had urged the Information and Broadcasting Ministry to allow theatres to function with 25-30 percent capacity.

The government is expected to issue detailed guidelines for Unlock 3.0 in the days to come.

Reports suggest that states and Union Territory administrations could be given more authority in deciding their own guidelines based on the situation in there. Multiple states, or at least some areas within, continue to remain under lockdown due to spike in cases.

Schools, colleges and educational institutions will not be allowed to reopen yet. They would be advised to continue with online classes, reports add. Metro rail services are also likely to remain suspended for August.

This phase of reopening will be watched closely as it comes at a time when COVID-19 cases being reported in India are scaling new highs.

On July 27, India reported nearly 50,000 COVID-19 cases in the 24-hour period. The country has so far reported a total of 14.8 lakh confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 33,425 deaths.

India is the third most-affected country in the world following the United States and Brazil.

While centres like Delhi and Mumbai, which were once considered the largest hotspots, have shown clear signs of flattening the curve of infections, cases are rapidly rising in states such as Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Assam.