The cinema halls in Kerala will resume functioning from the 25th of October. The state government has announced the decision during the COVID analysis meeting, held on Saturday. As the coronavirus cases in the state are dropping the government decided to give more relaxations, which included the reopening of theatres.
Theatres will function with 50 percent occupancy and following all the COVID protocols. Individuals who are fully vaccinated with the two doses are permitted to enter the cinema halls and the same applies to the employees.
The decision has come as a huge relief for the entertainment industry in Kerala. There are around 700 screens across the state and most of them are multiplexes. If reports are to be believed there are around 75 movies pending to release, hoping for the theatres to reopen.
Although the theatres in Kerala reopened in January after the first wave with 50 percent occupancy, the second outbreak forced the government to go into a complete lockdown. Theatres in Kerala haven’t performed well, after it was shut in March 2020, following the pandemic. Many star-studded films went for direct OTT releases and streaming platforms. The cinema halls remained shut for festivals including Christmas, Onam, and Vishu, and the producers and exhibitors are hoping to beat the pandemic blues and function fully-fledged by Diwali 2021.
