Various states are looking to gradually ease their stay at home restrictions in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and it looks like Georgia is about to be the first to make moves on opening the doors of their multiplexes beginning next week.
Governor Brian Kemp made the announcement yesterday & Kemps says that movie theaters, which will be subject to special social distancing and other sanitation mandates, will be allowed to reopen next Monday, April 27th. Over the weekend, Kemp announced that drive-in theaters would be able to remain open during the world's current state of affairs. The news comes as President Donald Trump introduced a a three-phase template to get businesses across North America back up and running. Kemp laid out the basic order of operations that would be necessary for their theaters to begin reopening below:
"Minimum basic operations includes but is not limited to screening workers for fever and respiratory illness, enhancing workplace sanitation, wearing gloves and masks if appropriate, separating work spaces by at least six feet, and tele-working where at all possible, and implementing staggered shifts. Subject to the specific social distancing and sanitation mandates, theaters, private social clubs and restaurant dine-in services will be allowed to reopen on Monday, April 27th."
While this is all good news for people that want to go to the movies in the state of Georgia and possibly for other states that will be watching to see how their rollout would be handled, there is a catch to all of this. The state certainly has the option to begin opening their theaters again next Monday but according to "Variety", movie theater circuits believe that reopening won’t just be like flicking a switch. Due to chains like AMC, Regal and Cinemark laying off employees or issuing furloughs, it would take longer than a week to re-hire staff and then train them in proper safety procedures.There is also an issue of liability. Theater owners are still exploring legal issues they could face, should audiences get infected with COVID-19 from going to their movie theater. It’s uncertain whether the burden would fall on the exhibitor or the state. AMC has signaled they may take patrons’ temperatures, while others, such as Cinemark, have played down that possibility. They are also working out the best way to ensure that their customers adhere to social distancing dictates, and are outlining how to seat moviegoers to ensure they aren’t coughed on and are six feet away from other patrons. As of this writing, the state has confirmed 18,947 cases of COVID-19, with 733 deaths, for a death rate of 3.8%. Kemp said documented cases have “flattened, and appear to be declining.”
There is also the issue of content. Most major releases vacated their release dates when the pandemic really hit in the States so there isn't any new material opening until at least mid-July. Theater owners have been working with studios to get classic blockbuster films to show in their theaters at a reduced price or for free to ease the public back into their theaters again. There is going to be some trial and error as states ease these restrictions but I suppose it's promising that some states are looking ahead to getting things back to normal. What normal will look like is an entirely different story altogether.
Do YOU think Georgia is movie too soon on trying to reopen their theaters or should other states follow suit?