Only fully vaccinated individuals will be allowed to enter movie houses that will soon be allowed to operate in line with the city government’s intention to further open the economy amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.
Mayor Michael Rama, in his first press briefing as full-fledged local chief executive, said he intends to further open the economy in time for the Christmas activities in December and the Sinulog Festival in January next year.
“All places of business and areas where people may go may fully open but only to people who have already been (fully) vaccinated,” he said.
Rama took oath as mayor by succession on Saturday following the death on Friday of Mayor Edgardo Labella at the Perpetual Succour Hospital due to “septic shock secondary to pneumonia”.
First councilor Donaldo “Dondon” Hontiveros also took his oath as vice mayor.
Emergency Operations Center (EOC) chief, Councilor Joel Garganera, in the same press briefing, said the EOC and the Business Permit and Licensing Office (BPLO) of the city government have already conducted an ocular inspection of the movie houses.
The EOC and the BPLO have determined the readiness of movie house operators in the city to reopen their establishments on the condition that they would impose strict health protocols.
Apart from requiring moviegoers to present a vaccination card at the cinema entrance, movie house operators will be required to manage the ventilation and air flow of their establishments to prevent spread of coronavirus.
“What are the protocols? Yes, first and foremost is the capacity, second is that we will ensure the quality in the air flow. They (the cinemas) have to keep doors open all the time and exhaust fan open,” he said.
The EOC, he also said, will put premium on the carbon dioxide (CO2) level of the movie houses and other closed-type establishments, reiterating the need to welcome only fully vaccinated individuals.
Garganera said the EOC has already given a nod to cinema operators to reopen. However, the actual opening of their establishments would depend on them and their level of compliance with the protocols as required by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID).
Source: Philippines News Agency
