The trouble with fully opening cinemas
Tamil Nadu on Monday became the first Indian state to allow movie theatres to function at 100% capacity. The decision comes as the number of new Covid-19 cases reported in the state are on the decline. On the day, for instance, TN reported a test positivity rate of just 1.38%, well below the 5% benchmark at which the spread of the disease is thought to be under control. High testing through the gold-standard RT-PCR mode and fever camps have no doubt helped the efforts. Still, the move to allow movie theatres to function with full capacity is premature, especially given the emergence of clusters at IIT-Madras and some star hotels in Chennai. The decision comes following meetings with key film industry figures.
The pandemic and lockdown have been devastating for the industry, especially for theatres. Although the state allowed movie theatres to reopen with 50% capacity in November, business continued to suffer. With no major releases hitting the screens, viewers stayed away. The state’s decision comes ahead of the crucial Pongal season with at least two big movies expected to release.
The entire course of the pandemic has forced governments across the world to make tough choices, including weighing the risk to livelihood and businesses against the risk to human lives. For months now, we have been aware that the coronavirus spreads most in closed indoor spaces, more so over long durations of time. Many experts have put movie theatres at the last of public spaces that ought to be reopened. Spending two-three hours in a closed space in which people are likely to remove their masks, especially to snack, is a high-risk activity.
With this in mind, some people may continue to stay away from movie halls, but others may receive the wrong message from this relaxation—that the virus no longer needs to be feared, that the guard can be dropped. Lives could be lost as a result. When the reopening of schools has been put off to protect lives despite the multiple adverse effects on youngsters from difficult backgrounds, the reopening of movie theatres at full capacity must be reconsidered and put off, at least for now.
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