Bollywood filmmaker Karan Johar has requested the Delhi government to allow cinema halls to operate, following their closure due to restrictions under yellow alert as per the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) that were imposed due to surging COVID-19 cases.
“We urge the Delhi Government to allow cinemas to operate. Cinemas are equipped with better ability to ensure a hygienic environment while maintaining social distancing norms as compared to other out-of-home settings. @LtGovDelhi @ArvindKejriwal @OfficeOfDyCM #cinemasaresafe,” Johar wrote on Twitter on Thursday.
Johar’s tweet comes days after the Delhi Disaster Management Authority on Tuesday ordered the closure of schools, colleges, cinemas and gyms with immediate effect and put various restrictions on the functioning of shops and public transport as a yellow alert was sounded under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) amid the rise in COVID-19 cases across the country.
A day ago, actors Varun Dhawan and Kriti Sanon backed the Multiplex Association of India’s plea to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to reconsider the new rules and allow the operation of theatres with proper guidelines and protocols in place.
The Multiplex Association of India’s letter stated that the Delhi government’s decision had caused “massive uncertainty” and that it could lead to “irreparable damage” to the film industry. It further stated that the period from March 2020 was “undeniably the most challenging” for the film industry.
“Not a single outbreak of COVID-19 anywhere around the world has been traced to a cinema, “ read the letter.
It also sought “equal treatment” with other industries and institutions. It requested the Delhi government to introduce the double vaccination requirement to enter cinemas like in states like Maharashtra and resort to a 50 per cent capacity for seating.
