New York City cinemas will be allowed to open for the first time in almost a year on March 5, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced at a news conference on Monday.
Theaters will only be allowed to operate at 25% of their maximum capacity, with a maximum of 50 people per exhibition. Masks will be mandatory, and theaters must assign seats to customers to ensure adequate social distance. Testing for the virus will not be necessary.
The cinemas were allowed to open with similar limits in the rest of the state in late October, but New York City was excluded for fear that the city’s density would accelerate the spread of the virus there.
The virus hit the film industry. In October, the owner of Regal Cinemas, the second largest cinema chain in the United States, temporarily closed its cinemas while Hollywood studios postponed releases and the cautious public hesitated to return to the screenings. AMC, the largest cinema chain in the world, is increasingly on the verge of bankruptcy.
The economic effects of the pandemic were particularly felt in New York City, one of the largest film markets in the United States. The city’s cinemas closed in mid-March as the region became the epicenter of the country’s pandemic.
Although other closed businesses, including restaurants, bowling alleys and museums, have been allowed to open in the city, Cuomo has kept cinemas closed for fear that people would sit in poorly ventilated cinemas for hours, risking the spread of the virus.
The cinemas that open are expected to have improved air filtration systems. Public health experts say that when considering internal meetings, the quality of ventilation is critical because the virus is known to spread more easily indoors.
Cuomo’s announcement was applauded by the National Association of Theater Owners.
“New York is an important market for those going to the movies in the United States; the reopening gives film distributors confidence in setting and maintaining theatrical release dates, and is an important step in the recovery of the entire industry, ”the association said in a statement.
The move came just days after Cuomo said that closed family entertainment centers and entertainment venues could be reopened across the state, with a maximum capacity of 25%, on March 26. Outdoor amusement parks will be allowed to open with a 33% capacity limit in April.
The governor also said the state was working on guidelines to allow the reopening of billiard rooms after the state lost a lawsuit from billiard hall operators. These establishments will be able to reopen at 50% capacity with the required masks, he said.
New York cases remain high despite the drop since the peak in January. In the past seven days, the state has averaged 38 cases per 100,000 residents per day, starting on Sunday. This is the second highest per capita rate of new cases in the country in the past week, after South Carolina.