The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has allowed cinema halls and theatre to operate at full capacity from February 1. Subsequently, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) on January 31 issued a new set of standard operating procedures for cinema halls and theatres, including mandatory use of face masks, availability of sanitisers, prohibition on spitting and more.
The new guidelines state that show timings for multiple screens will be staggered. No two show timings will have the same commencement time, intermission and finish time.
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Check out the COVID-19 guidelines to be followed at the premises:
General guidelines
Adequate physical distancing of at least 6 feet to be followed outside the auditoriums, common areas and waiting areas at all times.
Use of face covers/masks to be made mandatory at all times.
Proper crowd management in the parking lots and outside the premises. The number of people in the elevators shall be restricted.
Efforts shall be made to avoid overcrowding in the common areas, lobbies and washrooms during the intermission.
Longer intermissions may be used to allow the audience seated in different rows of the auditorium to move in a staggered manner.
At entry and exit points
Thermal screening of visitors/staff is to be carried out at entry points. Only asymptomatic individuals shall be allowed to enter the premises.
Designated queue markers shall be made available for entry and exit of the audience from the auditorium and the premises.
Sufficient time interval between successive screenings on a single screen as well as on various screens in a multiplex shall be provided to ensure row-wise staggered entry and exit of the audience.
Staggered show timings at multiplexes
Staggered show timings shall be followed for multiple screens to avoid crowding.
The show commencement time, intermission period and finish time of a show at any screen shall not overlap with the commencement time, intermission period or finish time of a show at any other screen in a multiplex.
Booking and payments
Digital no-contact transactions should be the most preferred mode for issue/verification/payments for tickets, food, and beverages, etc. by using online bookings, use of e-wallets, QR code scanners, etc.
Contact number shall be taken at the time of booking of tickets to facilitate contact tracing.
The purchase of tickets at the box office shall be open throughout the day and advance booking shall be allowed to avoid crowding at the sale counters.
A sufficient number of counters at the box office shall be opened with adequate physical distancing norms, to prevent crowding during physical booking of tickets.
Food and beverage area
Customers shall be encouraged to use cinema apps/QR codes, etc. for ordering food as much as possible.
Multiple sale counters in the food and beverage area be made available wherever possible.
One line systems to be followed using floor stickers to maintain physical distancing at every sale counter.
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