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When will theatres in Maharashtra reopen at increased seating capacity? Deputy CM answers
Theatres and cinema halls reopened on Friday at a maximum capacity of 50 per cent. However, according to Ajit Pawar, if the situation remains ‘under control’ after Diwali, increased capacity would be allowed.
On a day when multiplexes, theatres, cinema halls and auditoriums across Maharashtra reopened, albeit at an audience capacity of not more than 50 per cent, deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar said on Friday that the permission to operate with increased seating capacity would be given after Diwali if, after the festival, the Covid-19 situation in the state was “under control.”
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“We have reopened theatres with 50 per cent capacity from today. However, the owners are demanding that they be allowed to operate with 100 per cent seating capacity. We have told them to wait till Diwali. If, after Diwali, the situation is under control, then we will increase the capacity,” Pawar said, according to news agency ANI.
The decision to reopen theatres and auditoriums in Maharashtra was announced by chief minister Uddhav Thackeray's office on September 25. In its tweet, the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said that the detailed SOPs in this regard would be issued soon; the guidelines were issued on October 12, mandating, among other things, that such establishments can function at a maximum seating capacity of 50 per cent.
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Cinema halls and theatres in the western state, which were shut since March 2020, reopened in November last year. However, these were once again asked to close in April this year, when a devastating second wave swept through the country.
In recent days, the improvement in the state's pandemic situation has enabled the government to ease restrictions as, earlier this month, schools, colleges and religious places reopened after several months.
On Thursday, 1573 people across Maharashtra tested positive for the viral illness, while 39 people lost their lives due to the infection, as per a health department bulletin. The cumulative Covid-19 infection tally stands at 6,598,218 including 6,430,394 recoveries, 139,925 deaths and 27,899 active cases.
