Big American cinema chains announce that the wearing of face coverings in their multiplexes will not be optional.
With cinemas in both the US and the UK preparing to once again open their doors – albeit not quite yet in the case of the former – the debate is building steam as to whether audience members should be required to wear face coverings in the first instance.
At the moment, as we reported yesterday, in the UK this will not be compulsory. As Odeon Cinemas has stated on its help pages on its own website, “the wearing of face coverings for guests is optional”.
Yet in the US, as the prospect of cinemas now not being able to open their doors until August is looking more likely, three of the major chains are set to make face coverings compulsory in their cinemas. AMC (the parent company of Odeon), Cinemark and Regal have now all announced that masks are to be worn. A statement from Cinemark – which had previously declared that coverings would be optional, reads “for the safety of our guests, employees and communities, Cinemark will require that face masks be worn throughout our theatres. Masks may be removed when eating and drinking inside the auditorium”.
As things stand, cinemas in England are set to start reopening over the coming week, or at the very least they’re allowed to. In the absence of many films to show, though, it’s unclear just how many will be throwing open their doors…
