The Maharashtra government on Wednesday passed an order allowing the reopening of cinema halls, theatres and multiplexes in the state from November 5, CNBC reported. The order is only applicable in areas that are outside containment zones and these establishments can only fill up to 50% of their seating capacity. The order also allowed the reopening of yoga centres, swimming pools and other sports establishments.
The order said that no eatables would be allowed inside the premises of the cinema halls and multiplexes and that the facilities would have to strictly observe physical distancing and sanitisation norms.
The Union government had on October 15 allowed multiplexes, cinema halls, and theatres to reopen with strict standard operating procedures. The Ministry of Home Affairs had then left it to states to take a final call on the matter.
Maharashtra has over 600 cinema halls, and some 200 of them are in Mumbai alone, according to NDTV.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, India’s coronavirus count rose to 83,13,876 with 46,253 new cases being recorded in 24 hours, data from the health ministry showed. The country’s toll increased by 514 to 1,23,611. The number of active cases stood at 5,33,787, while the recoveries reached 76,56,478.
Globally, the coronavirus has infected more than 4.73 crore people and killed 12,12,844, according to the Johns Hopkins University. Over 3.15 crore people have recovered from the infection.
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