White House Unveils Conditions For Movie Theaters To Reopen In The U.S.

China Coronavirus White House Movie Theaters

The White House’s guidelines to reopen businesses across America reveal the conditions required for movie theaters in the nation to reopen.

In an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus, various levels of governments within the U.S. ordered non-essential businesses to close and movie theaters were among the venues forced to close their doors during the pandemic. Now, roughly a month after these social distancing precautions started in the U.S., the White House has unveiled plans for businesses to reopen after this period of self-isolation.

On Thursday, U.S. President Donald Trump addressed the Governors of the nation and revealed the multi-phase plans to slowly restart the economy. While the President was hopeful these plans could start unfolding in some areas as early as May 1st, the states will be required to meet specific criteria related to the reduction of COVID-19 cases and movie theater re-openings are unlikely to be included in the first phase of this process.

While Phase One of the White House guidelines mentions venues such as movie theaters, these businesses would have to follow “strict social distancing protocols” that would difficult to practice and enforce. However, Phase Two of the guidelines notes that venues such as movie theaters should be allowed to reopen on condition that they follow “moderate physical distancing protocols,” meaning these businesses could resort to the measures they enforced before the total shutdown was ordered. For example, certain theaters initially reduced their capacity by 50% to limit the size of crowds and keep guests further apart.

However, as previously mentioned, The White House listed certain criteria that must be met before even the first phase of these plans can start to unfold and individual states shall determine when they will begin the process. Furthermore, the May 1st date is not an official timeframe and is dependent on the rate of COVID-19 cases across the country.

Stay tuned to Heroic Hollywood for the latest news on the plans to reopen theaters in the United States.

Source: White House

Sebastian Peris

Sebastian Peris

Canadian film buff, political junkie, comic book geek, and board game enthusiast.