PUNE: Though a detailed standard operating procedure (SOP) for multiplexes in Maharashtra is still to be finalized, a senior Covid-19 task force member on Tuesday said their focus would be on ventilation and full vaccination of employees.
“The SOP will contain special measures on preventing the spread of the infection at multiplexes, where crowding and unmasking are likely. A special protocol has also been suggested for visitors to be unmasked, such as while eating. All potential points of Covid transmission are being considered critically. The SOP is being prepared in coordination with owners of multiplexes and the state Covid-19 task force,” the member said.
The task force suggested proper ventilation with constant air change and reducing air recirculation in multiplexes. “Movie halls will allow patrons at only 50% of the seating capacity. Seats that are not to be occupied would be taped or crossed out,” he said.
Other measures being considered include staggered timings for entry and exit before and after a show. “For better ventilation, more exhaust and table fans will have to be placed in cinema halls. If these measures are in place, air-conditioning at a specific temperature inside the theatre may be possible,” the member said.
All employees must be double vaccinated, though the full vaccination pre-condition for visitors is still being discussed. “However, since several cinema halls are inside malls, visitors to these places must be fully vaccinated for entry,” he said.
A senior public health department official told TOI that the SOP will be announced in a day or two. “The task force is currently reviewing the SOP. Once the task force clears it, the SOP will be published,” the official said.
The official said that the full vaccination pre-condition for the management and employees of any establishment is part of the latest unlock guidelines. The official further said some technical issues on crowd management, which may crop up at the entry and exit points of multiplexes, are currently being ironed out.
