Niharika Lal (BOMBAY TIMES; October 7, 2020)

With cinemas set to reopen in several states from October 15 (Mumbai’s cinema lovers will have to wait longer) after a six-month break due to the Coronavirus pandemic, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has issued certain SOPs that cinemas and viewers will have to follow.

On Tuesday, announcing the SOPs, I&B Minister Prakash Javadekar said, “We have issued SOPs as per our discussion with the Ministry of Health. We have allowed 50% capacity in cinema halls, which means skipping one seat and sitting. Airing PSAs or announcements about wearing masks 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 digital 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 sanitation, which means no backto-back shows. Furthermore, the commencement time, interval and end time of two shows at a multiplex cannot coincide to avoid crowding.
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SOPs ISSUED BY THE I&B MINISTRY

- Advance booking of 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 asymptomatic persons will be allowed

- Only packaged food and beverages allowed

- Delivery of food and beverage inside the hall/auditorium not allowed, you’ll have to go to the counter to place an order

- Staggered show timings

- Queue markers for entry and exit from the auditorium and the premises

- Entry and exit to be done in a staggered row-wise manner to avoid crowding

- Longer intermissions to allow audience 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/multiplex auditorium shall be sanitised after every screening

- Management shall ensure the observance of physical distancing and prevent crowding in the food and beverage area