New York City movie theaters will be allowed to open March 5. Governor Andrew Cuomo made the proclamation yesterday. March 5 will be nearly a year after theaters were ordered closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Theaters will only be able to operate at 25% capacity. Also, no more than 50 people per movie showing. Furthermore, masks will be required along with socially distanced seating.
AMC Theaters released a statement Monday on their re-opening plans. The theater chain says they will reopen all 13 of their theaters in New York City beginning March 5. AMC is the city’s largest movie theater operator.
“Governor Cuomo’s announcement that movie theatres can reopen in New York City in the first week of March is another important step towards restoring the health of the movie theatre industry and of our Company. We are excited to announce that AMC, the largest movie theatre exhibitor in New York City, will reopen all 13 of our theatres in New York City beginning March 5. We will do so with the highest devotion to the health and safety of our guests and associates through our AMC Safe & Clean policies and protocols, which were developed in consultation with Clorox and with current and former faculty at the prestigious Harvard University School of Public Health. AMC Safe & Clean includes social distancing & automatic seat blocking in each auditorium, mandatory mask wearing, and upgraded air filtration with MERV-13 air filters, as well as many other important health, sanitization and cleanliness efforts.”
Adam Aron, CEO and President of AMC Entertainment
AMC Entertainment says they have welcomed nearly 10 million moviegoers nationwide without a single reported case of COVID-19 transmission among their moviegoers. The chain developed their “AMC Safe & Clean” program with advisement of current and former Harvard University School of Public Health faculty. The United States’s top cleaning brand, Clorox, also assisted AMC.
