Bosses at a Bristol cinema have become the first in the city to close their doors - initially for two weeks - in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
The people running the Cube cinema in Kingsdown said they had a ‘duty of care’ to volunteers, members of the cinema and the wider community.
The cinema closed on Sunday (March 15), and will remain closed for two weeks. The cinema has also suspended sales of tickets for the planned screenings in April.
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“This is not a decision that has been taken by us lightly. As an autonomous venue, we are lucky to have the ability to make a decision with the health of our community at heart,” a spokesperson said.
“We want to be able to be focused on those that need us and those we lean on as well as ourselves and our environment. We are aware that people rely on the cube and we will continue to be supportive of each other.
“We understand how disappointing it is that events/screenings will have to be postponed or cancelled.
“But we believe that the benefit of the culture does not outweigh the risk of spreading this infection. As the situation evolves we will have a clearer idea about what will be cancelled and what can be postponed,” she added.
As of the morning of Monday, March 16, all the other cinemas in Bristol remain open, and are taking bookings for screenings for the rest of March, and advance bookings in every month as far ahead as August.
The Cube cinema, which has been open for 22 years in King Square in Kingsdown, said it would try to reschedule its screenings.
“All tickets will be refunded for the first two weeks, and we have suspended sales for April for the time being. We will try to reschedule everything. We will keep you updated as the situation evolves,” a message to members said.
“We all love The Cube and want to continue to provide the community and collaboration it gives us. It is a chance for us to come together and come up with new and creative ways to do what we do - we are thinking more radio, film streamings rather than screenings, submission projects, collaborative projects online, digital discussion groups, streamed live events,” the spokesperson added.
“This will be under the banner of The Cube On Ice, watch this space! Keep on washing your hands and looking after each other,” she said.
