India's Efforts to Reopen Cinemas Amid Pandemic

Kapanlagi.com - After going through seven gloomy months, India finally reopened cinemas last week by showing old movie titles. This is the country's effort to restore the normal cinema climate. In addition, the curve of the corona virus has started to decline although there are still obstacles.

The reopening of cinemas in India is due to the fact that the daily cases, which were initially high, have started to slow down day by day. Nearly 10,000 cinemas were closed in mid-March when the government began imposing massive restrictions in India. Cinemas are one of the last public places to reopen, and this movement is seen as a sign of India's recovery. Because India is one of the countries with a fairly good film production.

Almost every year, India is able to spend Rp 29 trillion to produce more than 2,000 films, presenting complete songs, dances, and spectacular star artists. The success of the film industry over the years has become a contemporary culture in India and can boost the country's economy. Despite experiencing a decline recently due to the pandemic.

With the reopening of cinemas now, the film industry has not yet found a point of recovery. This can be seen from the lack of new box-office revenues this year. In addition, filmmakers have started shifting to online streaming platforms such as Netflix and Amazon Prime. Similar incidents are also found almost worldwide due to the pandemic that has devastated the entertainment industry. Even earlier this month, cinemas in America announced the temporary closure of hundreds of locations in the US and in England. This is because it would be highly risky to place many people in enclosed spaces, which would easily spread the virus.

To minimize the danger, cinemas in India separate seats, arrange show schedules, and use digital payment methods. The use of masks and body temperature checks are mandatory. 'We have put everything in place, even more than what has been determined,' said Gagan Kapus, head of PVR Cinemas in New Delhi.

Authorities in Mumbai, the home of Bollywood, have chosen to postpone the reopening of cinemas. Similarly, the southern part of Maharashtra, where Mumbai is the capital of India, has been severely affected. India experienced a surge in July and added another 2 million in August, reaching 3 million by mid-September. However, the rate of spread of the coronavirus has slowed since mid-September, when daily infections usually reached 97,894, now reduced to 70,000 cases per day.

However, some experts say that the calculations in India are still unreliable due to inadequate reporting systems and infrastructure. In addition, India still relies on antigen tests, which are less accurate than RT-PCR tests. The Health Minister has warned of the potential spread of the virus during the upcoming religious festival season at the end of this month.

'The next 2.5 months will be crucial for us in our fight against the coronavirus due to the winter season and festivals,' said Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Wednesday. 'It is the responsibility of every citizen to not be complacent and follow the appropriate health protocols to reduce the spread of infection,' he added.

This article information was contributed by Shonal Ganguly from The Associated Press.

Author: Felecia Krismianto

(kpl/mag)