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Seatmates not allowed once NCR cinemas reopen under Alert Level 3 —DILG exec
By JOVILAND RITA,GMA NewsMoviegoers will have to be one seat apart once cinemas reopen in Metro Manila under Alert Level 3, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said Thursday.
"So yes, 30% indoor capacity for cinemas under Alert Level 3, and since it’s only 30%, there will be seats in between moviegoers that will be left vacant,” DILG Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya said in an ANC interview.
Malaya said the government allowed the reopening of cinemas
under Alert Level 3 after following the appeal of a group of cinema operators.Alert Level 3 in Metro Manila will start on October 16
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Under Alert Level 3, several establishments will be allowed to operate at 30% indoor venue capacity only for fully vaccinated individuals, and 50% outdoor venue capacity, provided that all employees are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
On Monday, Cinema Exhibitors Association of the Philippines (CEAP) head Charmaine Bauzon said 7,000 workers in movie theaters lost their jobs due to the closure.
The industry also lost an estimated P21 billion income since cinemas closed its doors in March 2020, she said.
The Department of Health (DOH), for its part, said it would monitor if the reopening of movie theaters would lead to an increase in COVID-19 cases.
“For as long as the minimum public health standards are followed, we can give it a try and then monitor. We’ll see if there’s going to be an unusual increase of cases if and when cinemas are opened,” Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said in a separate interview on ANC on Thursday. —KBK, GMA News