The Telangana government has allowed the opening up of movie theatres and multiplexes in the state with up to 50% seating capacity. The announcement was made on Monday shortly after Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao unveiled the Telangana Rashtra Samithi’s manifesto for the Hyderabad municipal elections. The order was issued with immediate effect.
Permission to open has only been given to those theatres which are outside containment zones. A government order said all establishments will adhere to standard operating protocol issued by the Union government for containing COVID-19 spread.
The decision to allow the opening comes a day after the CM met a delegation of film personalities. The delegation apprised the CM on the status of workers in the Telugu film industry who have suffered losses due to the halting of shoots and the closure of the theatres due to the lockdown.
The management of cinema, theatre and multiplexes will have to ensure that all persons including staff, vendors, audience, etc. wear a mask at all times. Hand sanitizers are to be made available at entry and exit points and common areas.
Physical distancing and crowd management measures are to be followed. Show timings also have to be staggered to ensure intervals of different shows do not occur simultaneously. Sanitisation of the entire premises should be done after every screening.
The temperature setting of all air conditioning devices in the premises should be set in the range of 24 to 30-degree celsius. The relative humidity of the premises should be in the range of 40-70%. The management is to ensure the re-circulation of air is avoided as much as possible.
The Chief Minister had given assurances through the party manifesto for municipal polls to help the sector in the form of a waiver of power tariffs for cinema halls, theatres and multiplexes. An exemption from State Goods and Service Tax (SGST) is also being extended if the film being produced is below Rs 10 crore. Permission will also be granted for all theatres to increase the number of shows and revise ticket charges like in the states Maharashtra, Karnataka and Delhi.