I&B ministry issues guidelines for film theatres

NEW DELHI : The ministry of information and broadcasting on Tuesdayissued a set of standard operating procedures (SOPs) for movie theatres which have been permitted to restart operations from 15 October, by the ministry of home affairs.

The general guidelines include adequate physical distancing of at least six feet to be followed outside the auditoriums, common areas and waiting areas, use of face covers or masks to be made mandatory at all times, availability of hand sanitizers, preferably in the touch-free mode, at entry and exit points as well as common areas within the premises, prohibition on spitting and installation of the Aarogya Setu app.

Thermal screening of visitors and staff will be carried out at entry points and only asymptomatic individuals shall be allowed to enter. There shall be designated queue markers for entry and exit of the audience from the auditorium and the premises. There must be sufficient time interval between successive screenings on a single screen as well as on various screens in a multiplex to ensure row-wise staggered entry and exit of the audience.

Occupancy in cinemas should not be more than 50% of their total seating capacity and seats that are not to be occupied shall be marked as such during booking. There should be proper crowd management in the parking lots and outside the premises, number of people in the elevators shall be restricted and efforts shall be made to avoid overcrowding in the common areas, lobbies and washrooms during the



intermission.

The show commencement time, intermission period and finish time of a show at any screen shall not overlap with the commencement time, intermission period or finish time of a show at any other screen in a multiplex.

Digital no-contact transactions should be the most preferred mode for issue or payments for tickets, food, and beverages, etc. by using online bookings, use of e-wallets, and so on. Contact number shall be taken at the time of booking of tickets to facilitate contact tracing.

There must be frequent sanitization of the entire premises, common facilities, and all points which come into human contact, such as handles or railings. Measures for the safety of sanitization staff such as adequate provisions for rational use of gloves, boots, masks, PPE, etc. shall be undertaken. Wearing of face cover would be mandatory for staff at all workplaces and adequate stock of such face covers should be made available.

Public service announcements on wearing mask, observing physical distancing and maintaining hand hygiene as well as specific announcements on the precautions and measures to be followed within and outside the premises shall be made before the screening, during intermission and at the end of the screening.

There must be adequate cross-ventilation and temperature setting of all air conditioning devices should be in the range of 24-30 degrees Celsius. Delivery of food and beverage inside the auditorium shall be prohibited.