New restrictions on Saskatchewan theatres

[Frank Cox]

Up to this point Saskatchewan theatres have been allowed to sell 30% of their seating capacity per show, which for me is 45 tickets.

CBC Saskatchewan posted this yesterday:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saska...sday-1.5760690

QUOTE
Events at public venues will now be limited to 30 people. However, Shahab said there must be enough space for those people to maintain physical distance.

Shahab said the new gathering rules do not impact restaurants, licensed establishments and banquet halls, weddings, funerals or religious gatherings — each of which are required to follow seating and physical distance guidelines as described in the reopened plan.
END OF QUOTE

Since movie theatres aren't specifically mentioned in this article I phoned the Saskatchewan information line and asked if we are exempted like the restaurants and so forth.

I was told that movie theatres are not exempted. So we can now sell a maximum of 30 tickets per show as of Friday.

(Actually, I haven't had 30 people at any show yet since I re-opened. But there was always the possibility.)

[Marcel Birgelen]

The Netherlands recently went into a new partial lock-down and initiated equal restraints for all cinemas. The maximum number of visitors per cinema has also been reduced to 30, no matter how big the auditorium is. Also, the concession stand has to close at 10pm and the locations that sold alcohol may not do so anymore after 8pm. It remains to be seen how viable it will be for them to even stay open, given the lack of movies to play and those new set of restrictions.

[Steve Guttag]

Have there been ANY outbreaks traced to cinemas? If not, has any exhibitor asked the law makers why cinemas are not being excluded from the excess restrictions? It's like someone has got it in their head that cinemas are particularly dangerous. However they never have any evidence of that and perpetuate the myth...which scares the public and so forth.

[Marcel Birgelen]

Maybe there are some undetected outbreaks somewhere that originated in a cinema, but none of them have been clearly reported about until now.

The limitations the Dutch government implemented were broad-scale limitations across the board, not taking into account the different situations in which people meet and behave in the given situation.

It's far more difficult to keep social distancing in a bar on a Saturday evening than in a cinema or other auditorium-style venue for example.

[Steve Guttag]

To the best of my knowledge, there remains zero outbreaks traced to cinemas. Not now, not ever. The industry needs to push back against the broad-brush approach in response to outbreaks in other businesses. I really think the cinema industry has an indoor business that can effectively mitigate COVID-19 spreading due to how start/end times can be staggered (reduce the number of people in common areas and KNOW when they'll likely be there), can spread out within the cinema, everyone faces the same direction (not each other), and, for the most part (hopefully) don't talk or expel extra air as compared to other indoor activities.

Statistically, cinemas remain on the safer side (and increasingly more so) of the indoor businesses. The industry needs to make that fact known to governments.

[Lyle Romer]

To the best of my knowledge, there remains zero outbreaks traced to cinemas. Not now, not ever. The industry needs to push back against the broad-brush approach in response to outbreaks in other businesses. I really think the cinema industry has an indoor business that can effectively mitigate COVID-19 spreading due to how start/end times can be staggered (reduce the number of people in common areas and KNOW when they'll likely be there), can spread out within the cinema, everyone faces the same direction (not each other), and, for the most part (hopefully) don't talk or expel extra air as compared to other indoor activities.

Statistically, cinemas remain on the safer side (and increasingly more so) of the indoor businesses. The industry needs to make that fact known to governments.

100% agree. Even talking done before the show in a cinema is typically at a much lower volume than in another venue like a restaurant. Just make it 6 ft minimum between parties and maybe a maximum party size. Percent capacity will vary a little based on the party sizes for any particular show.

[David Bird]

It would seem a handful of industries are paying the price in order for elected officials and bureaucrats to make it look like they're "doing something" even though there's typically no data or logic behind it. It's all part of the grand "theatre" surrounding this invisible virus that will never go away. They're really in a corner now and perhaps they feel we have to look like we're acting on it in order to somehow back out of it. As I've said before, it's very likely you easily exceed all restrictions and safety protocols placed on all other businesses, but you're a theatre so it doesn't count somehow. We had to fight to get drive-ins open, but they insisted cars be 6 feet apart though it's hard to imagine why that mattered as much as the fact you were in your own car. We made it work, essentially going to half capacity with 9-10 foot spacing, mostly because of the damned speaker posts made it awkward to do anything else. Of course, we were still counting on that "2 weeks to crush the curve" idea. Should we have to start next year reduced again (and we even think it's worth it to open), then I think we'll have to consider tearing out a lot of those posts which could get us to maybe 2/3 capacity. As for the indoor limit, have you considered calling yourself a restaurant Frank and showing football games and "free" movies?

I was somewhat surprised to see the mayor of Ottawa actually back the restaurant owners there, who just got locked down again in a surprise move by the Ontario govt that affects only Toronto, Ottawa and Peel Region and only theatres, gyms and restaurants despite zero data. Nothing else, but that's 100k+ workers and countless businesses destroyed on 24h notice last weekend just 3 days after the premier said he wouldn't do it.