Cinemas in the United States are taking care to reopen. The New Mutants, Unhinged, and of course, Tenet, are all set to hit movie theaters in the coming weeks, but these titles come under an umbrella of uncertainty. Because, as I’m sure you’re well aware, the coronavirus has gone nowhere. And there seems to be no plan to deal with that at the moment.
Instead, theater chains simply hope for the best and assume that social distance and other precautionary measures will keep everyone safe. But just how safe is it to be able to return to the movies right now? According to a recent interview with two doctors who specialize in epidemiology, it is not safe at all.
Are you ready to go back to the movie? Scratch that – do you think it is safe going back to the movies? Because I’m sure many of us are more than ready to see something on the big screen again, but that does not mean we soene. The AV Club spoke to two experts: Dr. Anne W. Rimoin, Professor of Epidemiology and Director of the Center for Global and Immigrant Health at the University of California, Los Angeles, and Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, doctor and epidemiologist, who is also a former commissioner for urban health and hosts the podcast America dissected, about the prospect of returning to theaters. And both doctors made it very clear that going to a movie theater is a bad, bad idea.
“From what we understand, the virus is transmitted through aerosolized drops that come out of our mouths, often when we talk or when we laugh or when we sing,” said Dr. El-Sayed. ‘And so, two hours in a room with a lot of people laughing at a movie, and where air is not circulating efficiently, and where you do not know who has been there for you hat, that’s really dangerous exposure. I just do not think it’s worth it. ”
Dr. Rimoin added: “And if they sell concessions, people will take off their masks and eat, and that’s like eating in a restaurant in a closed room – even worse, because you’re actually sitting in a closed box. are not even windows, there is no ventilation. “
Sa soene shall we go straight to the movie now? “Short of renting an entire theater, which is obviously not an option for most of us, there is no scenario where a movie theater is a good idea,” said Dr. Rimoin. ‘When a movie theater opens, they have to close concessions and they have to have staff in the theaters with night vision goggles to really see people and make sure no one brings food and everyone always wears masks. That’s another reason cinemas are not a good idea: You can not control what everyone else around you is doing. ”
Licenses are a big part of how movie theaters make money, so there’s probably zero chance in hell they want to shut them down. And most cinemas can’t even bother to have good film projection or deal with rough and cluttered screens, so I’m pretty sure they do not want to break out some night vision goggles to keep people an eye on.
But if you refuse to accept this and death is death to set up a theater, says Dr. El-Sayed: ‘I would tell people to wear a mask and wear it all the time. And do everything touchless: buy your ticket online, have it on your phone, do not let them touch your phone when they scan it. Do not spend time in common areas: Go straight to your theater, sit as far away from people as you can. I agree that concessions should be closed, and they should eliminate the whole theater between each screening. ”
So what’s the solution? Dr. Rimoin praised “introduced theaters that jump all over the place” and “outdoor stories,” while Dr. El-Sayd added: “Cinemas outside, or if you watch a movie in your car, those are great. But the safest thing is to stay home and watch them on Netflix. We have to remember that it’s not just our risks that are there.” “We’ve talking about it. It’s about whether or not we serve as a ship to spread it to people who may not be so healthy.”
I am currently incredibly frustrated with the sector. Studios and theaters had months to try to figure something out, and the best they can do is “We’ll make people sit down.” Studios and theaters need to embrace the idea of pop-up drive-ins – hell, if Walmart can turn its parking lots into drive-ins, there’s no reason theatrical chains should not try to do the same. Instead, theaters and studios seem content to roll the dice and hope for the best, and, based on the experts cited above, this is probably a terrible idea.
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