Tamil Nadu theatres to reopen with 50% occupancy on August 23  

The government of Tamil Nadu has announced that the ongoing curfew will be extended to reduce the spread of coronavirus. Additionally, as a relaxation effective from Monday (August 23), the theatres in the state are allowed to reopen with 50% occupancy.

Due to the second wave of the pandemic, theatres across the state were shut on April 26. The relaxation has certainly brought relief to the theatre workers and theatre owners, shared Tirupur M Subramaniam, President of Tamil Nadu Theatres and Multiplexes Owners Association. Reacting to the news, Subramaniam said, "We are elated about this announcement. I have spoken with many theatre owners who all express relief that the business is allowed to operate once again. I'd like to thank the Chief Minister for this move."

Ruban Mathivanan, owner of Porur-based GK Cinemas, too resonated with Subramaniam's statement, and when asked about the timing of the announcement, he said  "As the number of positive COVID-19 cases have gone down, the government seems to have decided to open theatres. The second wave of the pandemic affected some businesses, and ours was, of course, among the worst hit. In fact, the impact of the lockdown on the business has been more severe this time than it was during the first wave. So, this comes as welcome news, and from our side, we promise to follow all required precautions."

In the announcement, the government has further instructed the theatre owners to ensure that their workers are vaccinated. Speaking about the same, Subramaniam said that all theatre workers were vaccinated and that the same was instructed and ensured through the Theatre Owners Association.

With the theatres reopening on Monday, fans of cinema can expect a long list of Hollywood films that have been waiting for theatres to reopen. Further, Tamil films like Vijay Sethupathi's Laabam, Arjun Vijay's Borrder and Arya-starrer Aranmanai 3, are all ready for release and are expected to hit theatres soon.