SPRINGFIELD, Ill — The National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) of Illinois outlined a proposal to safely reopen the industry more quickly than what is outlined in the Restore Illinois plan.
The association said reopening sooner would bring relief to an industry that creates thousands of jobs for teenagers and has helped “revitalize towns across Illinois.”
They also said further delay in reopening Illinois theaters could prevent many films from opening this summer which would create a ripple effect in the film industry, impacting jobs and tax revenues.
Under the current plan, move theaters can’t open until Phase 4, which would mean the earliest some regions could reopen theaters would be June 26. The plan also set a limit of 50 people per auditorium. The association said that is an arbitrary limit due to the “vast” differences in auditorium sizes.
The alternative plan proposed by NATO of Illinois would allow theaters to reopen sooner with new safety and sanitation procedures and calls for limiting auditorium attendance to 50% seating capacity.
New safety measures outlined in the proposed reopening plan include:
- Requiring all employees to undergo training before returning to work on enhanced cleaning procedures, personal health and wellness, use of face masks and gloves, and maintaining social distancing.
- Taking employee temperatures before reporting to work for each shift.
- Mandating that cloth masks be worn at all times and disposable gloves be worn during customer interactions.
- Maintaining a minimum of six-foot distance between viewing parties, using empty seats and rows as necessary.
- Placing six-foot spacing markings in areas where guests may have to queue and assigning staff to ensure social distancing is respected.
- Encouraging customers to purchase tickets online to decrease contact opportunities.
"Movie theatres have long served as a source of joy and an avenue of escape from everyday struggles, but they do much more by directly supporting thousands of jobs and generating tax revenue for towns across Illinois. It is important Illinois theaters be allowed to safely reopen right away so workers can return to their jobs, and the movie industry at large can move forward with major film releases. Our proposal balances the protection of employees and guests with the need to restart our economy," said Chris Johnson, president of NATO of Illinois and CEO of Classic Cinemas.
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