On Monday, New York State Governor Andrew Kuomo said that the halls reopen their doors with a commitment to a maximum spectator rate of 25 percent of their normal capacity, provided that the number of those in each hall does not exceed 50, according to Agence France-Presse.
This decision constitutes a dose of support for the film sector in the United States, which has been deprived of the two largest outlets in the country, namely Los Angeles and New York.
In New York, movie theaters have remained closed since March 17, 2020, under a decree issued by Mayor Bill de Blasio.
The opening decision comes after the number of Corona infections and hospitalizations due to the virus in New York decreased to their levels recorded in early December, that is, at the beginning of the second wave of the pandemic.
New York City joined the rest of the state’s cities, as movie theaters were allowed to reopen in them since mid-October.
However, some halls throughout the state decided to continue to close, under the pretext that reopening is not an economically viable option, as the restrictions imposed on the number of spectators and the sale of food and drinks, in addition to the absence of films that would attract the public, dissuaded operators from reopening.
The pandemic delayed the launch of most major Hollywood productions, while some studios adopted a strategy to display their work simultaneously in theaters and on electronic platforms.
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