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Theaters will be required to cap capacity at
25% with a maximum of 50 people per screen, and only in counties
that have a positivity rate below 2% on the 14-day-average and
no cluster areas, Cuomo said.
Moviegoers will be required to wear masks except when seated and
eating or drinking. Theaters will be required to meet enhanced
standards for air filtration and ventilation.
The governor announced the move at a Saturday briefing where he
said New York was making progress in tackling COVID-19
"clusters" in certain areas of the state, including Brooklyn and
Queens in New York City.
"The strategy is working," Cuomo said, pointing to decreasing
positivity rates in so-called "red zones." "Not just the micro
clusters, the whole statewide strategy is working."
Cuomo has come under pressure from cinema operators for not
allowing theaters to reopen sooner. Last week, the executive
committee of the Global Cinema Federation, which represents
cinema operators and other industry leaders worldwide, sent a
letter to the Democratic governor asking him to reverse his
decision to keep theaters closed.
Cinema operators are buckling under the financial strain of the
pandemic.
Attendance at the world's largest movie theater chain, AMC
Entertainment Holdings Inc , has slumped 85% compared to last
year since its cinemas reopened after lockdowns were eased in
some states, the company said.
With the pandemic changing consumer behavior globally, more
viewers are being driven to digital video services as people
spend more time at home due to restrictions on movement and a
switch to working from home, which has shuttered theaters.
(Reporting by Maria Caspani; Editing by Daniel Wallis and Tom
Brown)
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