Cinema halls in most parts of the country were closed for a long time due to the coronavirus-induced pandemic. However, the Maharashtra government has finally allowed 100% occupancy in cinema halls of 14 districts of the state including Mumbai. The decision has come considering the decline in the COVID-19 cases in the state.
As per the state government’s decision, cinema halls in 14 districts of Maharashtra will operate at full capacity from March 4, 2022. The relaxation comes in those districts where 90% of the population has been administered the first dose of the vaccine, whereas 70% of the people have also received their second dose of the vaccine. Moreover, in these districts, the coronavirus positivity rate is less than 10% and the occupancy of the oxygen or ICU beds is less than 40%.
With the current guidelines, the places which will now have 100% occupancy in cinema halls are Mumbai City, Mumbai Suburban, Pune, Bhandara, Sindhudurg, Nagpur, Raigad, Wardha, Ratnagiri, Satara, Sangli, Gondia, Chandrapur, and Kolhapur.
Trade analyst Taran Adarsh also shared the update on social media and wrote, “FINALLYYY… CINEMA HALLS IN 14 DISTRICTS [INCLUDING MUMBAI CITY & MUMBAI SUBURBAN] OF MAHARASHTRA TO BE ALLOWED TO OPERATE AT 100% CAPACITY… Happy days are here again… #BO to get a boost with this new development. #Maharashtra #CinemasAreBack.”
For those saying *entire Maharashtra* allows 100% occupancy, NO, NOT TRUE… Only 14 districts [List A] allowed 100% occupancy… “For other Administrative Units that are excluded from List A, these shall operate at 50% of the capacity,” the notification states.— taran adarsh (@taran_adarsh) March 2, 2022
This decision has come as a big boost for Bollywood with several films lining up for the release. Alia Bhatt starrer Gangubai Kathiawadi and Amitabh Bachchan starrer Jhund have already been released and will get benefited from this decision. The list of other upcoming movies include The Batman and Jersey among others.
