Following a recent rejection of a request to reopen its theaters, it appears the State of New Jersey has had a change of heart. New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy has made an announcement that theaters and other similar venues would be allowed to reopen starting September 4th, but with a caveat. According to Murphy’s announcement, the various spaces will all be limited to either 25% capacity or 150 people.
While many may still question the decision to open any public gathering locations at this time, the decision by Governor Murphy appears to address steadily increasing tensions from those who insist on reopening. However, that’s not to say nothing will be done to ensure safety. During the COVID-19 briefing where he made this announcement, the governor laid out rules to be followed by any theaters choosing to end their lockdown.
First, the aforementioned capacity limit would be enforced, with a minimum 6 foot distance required between moviegoers who didn’t purchase tickets together. Naturally, masks are also required. If it’s anything like how other states have handled reopening, it’s likely that masks will be mandatory for everyone even during the movie, though guests may remove them temporarily to eat and drink. It’s unclear how strictly these rules will be enforced, as even stars like Maisie Williams have been urging audiences to stay home if they feel unsafe in theaters.
During the same briefing, Governor Murphy also allowed for indoor dining to resume, hopefully with similar rules. The governor credited this series of relaxed restrictions to New Jersey’s apparent success at bringing down their COVID-19 transmission numbers over the past few months. Of course, time will tell if allowing people to gather together in public so soon will undo all that effort, but the people in charge seem confident.
It’s understandable that Murphy would make an announcement one way or another, especially after the drama involving the theater industry. Barely a month earlier, several theaters came together to accuse the State of New Jersey of religious bias, claiming that allowing churches to reopen but still requiring theaters to remain closed was a violation of free speech protections. Of course, one could argue the correct course of action in that case would have been to simply close the churches as well, further restricting the possibilities for spreading the virus. But a judge ruled instead to simply reject the claim, which seemed to only strain tensions further.
Hopefully these new rules are enforced and people can enjoy the theater experience without endangering those around them. Many theaters have agreed on self-imposed rules to protect audiences, so maybe as long as everyone properly enforces the many new guidelines, moviegoers can at least temporarily enjoy some semblance of normalcy.
Source: Variety
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