By Ashley Voong | Staff Writer
People need to resist going to see a film during a global pandemic, despite the recent reopening of movie theaters.
AMC Entertainment, America’s largest movie theater chain, has reopened in waves after being temporarily closed for over six months due to COVID-19. Currently, most theaters are open and a few locations, such as the Santa Anita theater and the Atlantic Times Square theater, plan to reopen in the near future.
However, with the peak of flu season coming in combination with the coronavirus, people are more susceptible to contracting an illness. Risking one’s health and the health of others just to watch a movie is irresponsible and selfish.
According to the Center for Disease Control, COVID-19 cases are rising and going to a movie theater is on the list of higher-risk activities.
Since people are in a dark room and masks are taken on and off throughout the movie to eat snacks, the requirement to wear a mask is hard for employees to inforce. While AMC theaters have adapted to health guidelines with thoroughly enhanced cleaning procedures and reduced auditorium capacities, when people are in an enclosed environment for an extended period of time, it is still dangerous.
“The [corona] virus is transmitted through droplets when we talk, laugh, and breathe. A movie theater is a place where you sit with a room full of strangers eating and drinking for two to three hours with sub-optimal ventilation,” says Anne Rimoin, epidemiology professor at UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, according to the website Health. “It’s exactly the type of scenario we need to be avoiding to reduce the opportunity for the virus to spread.”
Many theater chains are aware of and heading this advice. There has been an unsteady flow of movies being released in movie theaters during the past nine months. And, as a result of the pandemic, many major movie release dates have been postponed to 2021.
According to CNN News, “Some movie studios are even beginning to skip the theaters and [release] certain movies to consumer’s streaming platforms.”
With platforms such as Netflix and Hulu allowing people to watch movies from the safety of their own homes, it is unnecessary to go to movie theaters during a pandemic. The movie-going experience can even be replicated through Netflix Party, a chrome extension that enables people to stream Netflix movies while chatting with friends. Although it may not have the same feel as a movie theater, it is a much safer social alternative.
For those who need a change of scenery in order to enjoy a movie, booking an auditorium for a private screening or going to a drive-in movie theater are safesubstitutes as well.
COVID-19 is still spreading across the nation. People need to do their part to keep themselves and others safe. Avoiding unnecessary trips to the movie theaters is a good start.
