Life is not a movie.
It may have felt like one the past few months, but at least in a movie, the protagonist would have already conquered the coronavirus. We’re still in the middle of the plot, not knowing what the end will be or how it will truly impact us.
Movies play a large role in our lives as a major source of entertainment. So, when theaters shut down, the entire industry shifted so everyone could watch safely from their homes. After seven months, many of us are eager to get back to physically going to the theater. But the question remains: Is it safe?
Recently, theaters in Kentucky have started to reopen amidst the ongoing global pandemic. While, at a glance, this may seem problematic, the regulations that most theaters have put in place seem sufficient to fight the spread of COVID-19 provided people respect those guidelines.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, people should monitor their health in order to avoid contracting the virus. This includes frequently washing hands, wearing a face mask around other people, covering their mouth when sneezing or coughing and disinfecting “frequently touched surfaces” everyday. Considering this list helps decide whether theaters in the area are doing a sufficient job of protecting moviegoers from the virus.
It seems, so far, that theaters are getting it right. According to Cinemark’s website, the auditoriums are “extensively disinfected using pressurized sprayer equipment” every morning, “high-touch areas” are sanitized frequently and “each Cinemark theatre will have a Chief Clean & Safety Monitor on duty … to ensure the highest standards of safety, physical distancing, cleanliness and sanitizing.” AMC has similar guidelines on its website.
The real problem comes when people do not follow the rules of social distancing or mask-wearing.
Admittedly, it is hard to constantly remember to wear your mask in the morning or to stay a healthy distance behind the person in front of you in line for lunch, but these new social guidelines are important for keeping everyone safe. When people neglect to follow these instructions it puts the rest of us in danger.
When you venture into the outside world these days, there is not any guarantee that everyone will be doing what they are supposed to. Since the only person you can really control is yourself, you have every right to leave a situation (in this case, a movie theater) if you feel uncomfortable. You also are within your rights to report those violations to the nearest manager or person in charge.
Most of us have been going a bit stir crazy during this pandemic; thus, starting to reopen theaters in a healthy manner is a good thing. When Netflix starts to look unappealing, it’s probably time to get out of the house. There is something to be said for actually sitting in a theater, spending time with friends and gorging yourself on popcorn. These shared experiences help to relieve the psychological stress we’ve all experienced during the pandemic.
