Cinemas and theatres to reopen for 14 days, restaurant dining to resume

The Government has approved the conditional reopening of cinemas, playhouses, and theatres for 14 days effective Sunday, July 5.

This was announced in Parliament this afternoon by Local Government Minister, Desmond McKenzie, who noted that these entities have been closed since March.

Here are the protocols for the reopening:

* No more than 60 percent of seating capacity must be used. There must be one-way foot traffic (one way in and one way out) inside cinemas where possible. At least two rows must be left empty to facilitate the movement of persons across the width of the venue.

* A maximum of four persons from the same family or group are allowed to sit side by side. There must be a gap of two seat spaces between each group and also between individual patrons.

* All cinemas, playhouses, and theatres must be closed no later than one hour before the designated time for the nightly curfew.

* In addition to the established playhouses, many other locations such as school auditoriums and community centres are used for this form of entertainment. Promoters or managers must ensure that all actors are screened and where required, tested for COVID-19. For both indoor and outdoor venues, at least six feet must be between the stage and the first row occupied by patrons. This area must be marked and physical barriers erected where possible.

Additionally, McKenzie announced that as of tomorrow, Thursday, July 2, dining will be allowed in restaurants.

Here are the protocols for restaurants:

* The occupancy must not exceed 50% of capacity at any one point.

* No more than four persons can be seated at a table.

* There must be at least six feet of space between tables, and they must not be joined together to facilitate large groups.

NB: All theatres, cinemas, playhouses and restaurants must allow access to officials from the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development, the Ministry of Health and Wellness and the Jamaica Constabulary Force to monitor their operations. These officials must have proper identification.

There are other protocols, and the information will be shared with all stakeholders. Consultation and partnership remain critical to our efforts at normalisation, and some of these measures emerged from discussions with the Private Sector Organization of Jamaica.

No entertainment events 

Meanwhile, McKenzie indicated that entertainment venues remain closed.

He said discussions are to be held this week about protocols that can effectively address the unique features of this sector.

The talks will involve the police, the Social Development Commission, Jamaica Fire Brigade, Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management, the Municipal Corporations, the Ministry of Health and Wellness, and the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport.

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