Cinemas in Maldives permitted to reopen

Cinemas in the Maldives are being permitted to reopen starting from tomorrow. 

Health Protection Agency (HPA) has stated that cinemas and film theaters are permitted to reopen under special guidelines and policies. 

Movie theaters in the Maldives were closed on March 30 last year due to the spread of COVID-19 in the nation. 

HPA stated that stringent safety measures are to be taken when theaters are reopened. 

These guidelines state that cinema-goers are to maintain a distance of three feet unless they are attending as a group. Sanitizers and hand washing arrangements must be made available at cinemas.

Moreover, the guidelines also state that people with symptoms of the virus are not to be permitted inside cinema halls.

Employees such as ticket clerks are also to operate within a three feet distance of customers and are to don face shields as well as masks.

HPA added that if shows are conducted with intervals between each one, the hall is to be cleaned thoroughly to prevent the spread of the virus.

The guidelines also prohibit the sale of food items inside the cinema halls and only personal water bottles are permitted inside. 

Cinema-goers are also not permitted to change seats. Operators of the cinema are also to take a log of everyone in attendance at the show and are encouraged to use the Trace Ekee application for contact tracing. 

Cases in the Maldives are once again on a gradual increase at this time when the HPA permitted the reopening of cinemas. 55 cases were confirmed last night. 

The total number of cases in the nation currently stands at 14,885. 50 deaths have been reported in relation to the virus.