The US Federal Government announced the plan that is expected to allow for businesses around the nation to begin reopening in the near future, depending on which state you live in. And this means that, finally, it’s becoming more clear when cinemas will be able to screen films for paying audiences, and hopefully, begin to get back to “normal.”
According to Variety, the government outlined a list of benchmarks that will indicate the timeframe that states are allowed to relax their social distancing regulations. The goals that states are required to meet over a 14-day period include:
—There must be a downward trajectory of reported flu-like illnesses and cases with COVID-like symptoms.
—There must be a downward trajectory of documented COVID-19 cases, or positive COVID-19 tests.
—Hospitals must be able to treat all patients without crisis care, and have a robust testing program for at-risk health care workers.
After these criteria have been met, the state is allowed to reduce social distancing regulations, including the reopening of non-essential businesses, including cinemas. However, when they reopen, they are to be “under strict physical distancing protocols.” We’ve seen what this might look like with Cinemark announcing plans to reopen in July with reduced occupancies. Of course, we still don’t know if that means capacities of 20%, 30%, 50% or whatever.
Of course, as you might have guessed, Phase 1 is followed by Phase 2, where states meet the criteria once again, without any jumps in COVID-19 cases. Under this phase’s guidelines, larger events will be able to happen, under “moderate physical distancing protocols.” But even still, groups of 50 or more people are expected to follow social distancing guidelines, so that doesn’t really help cinemas as much as you might think. Finally, there’s Phase 3, which is described as “our new normal.” This includes “limited” physical distancing until there is a working COVID-19 vaccine that is readily available.
It’s important to understand that, as has been pointed out by some governors, it’s unclear what the terms “strict,” “moderate,” and “limited” actually mean when it comes to physical distancing. And due to the ambiguity, it’s still not known how much of an effect the different phases will have on cinemas, which are places where large numbers of people huddle close, eating snacks and watching films, for 2+ hours at a time.
Regardless, it does appear that there is light at the end of the tunnel. We just don’t know what that light looks like really and how long exactly the tunnel is. But hey, it’s progress, right?