Curtains lift at cinemas in line with Covid-19 protocols

Ster-Kinekor has announced that it had begun reopening cinemas from August 28.

The reopening was done in a phased approach to ensure that operationally employees have been trained on the new Covid-19 health and safety measures and all the PPE required is ready when trading.

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Ster-Kinekor will initially start trading with 32 cinemas, followed by the remaining 21 sites on September 18.

Deputy CEO, Motheo Matsau says “We’ve been getting ready to welcome patrons back to the cinema since Government’s announcement on July 6. We have taken every step to ensure the safe return of our guests and staff to the cinema with our staff having undergone extensive Covid-19 operations training.”

All Ster-Kinekor cinemas will operate with new safety procedures that ensure compliance with directives set out by government.

Each theatre will be permitted a maximum of 50 guests per auditorium, excluding staff.

Some of the new measures taken include regulated seating, marked foyer floors to manage social distancing as well as longer show staggers to manage the number of people in our foyers at any one time.

Stringent hygiene protocols are in place for the safety of guests and staff.

To limit contact, no transactions will take place in cinema and all movie tickets and snacks must be purchased through the Ster-Kinekor app or via the website.

After the show guests will be required to exit the auditorium row-by-row starting from the back of the cinema and are requested to remove their empty snack containers to discard in the dustbins which will be placed in the cinema foyers.

High cleaning standards will be enhanced by a cleaning protocol designed to sanitise frequently touched surfaces in the cinema.

Before doors open a misting device will be used to treat all auditoria, as well as lounge areas, foyers, hand railings and seats.

Cinemas will be sanitised before and after each show and cleaning times between every show have been increased to make sure seats and surfaces are clean and safe.

Masks and temperature screening will be compulsory when entering the cinema foyer however masks may be temporarily removed in the auditorium to enjoy the refreshments.

All staff will be screened before opening the cinemas each day, as well as at each shift.

“We will wear face masks and gloves where required and our staff have been trained on safe work practices to ensure safety for themselves and for our guests.”

A number of blockbusters are heading to cinemas with the upcoming line-up including Christopher Nolan’s Tenet releasing August 28 and Disney’s live-action Mulan remake set to be released on September 11.

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