Mandatory buffers for cinemas and theaters? It would be incalculable damage

The “steering committee” on Covid-19 chaired by the prime minister will meet on Thursday, Dec. 23, at Palazzo Chigi to decide on any further restrictions with the aim of curbing contagions currently on the rise. Indeed, the government fears the spread of the omicron variant, although at the moment the pressure on hospitals is much less alarming than a year ago, when there were no vaccines: as of Dec. 19, intensive care unit occupancy was at 11 percent and Covid hospital ward occupancy was at 12 percent (national data, source National Agency for Regional Health Services), with most regions, however, below the 10 percent threshold. However, the government is on the alert, and there are several measures under consideration at the moment: for example,mandatory outdoor masking throughout the country (despite the fact that some of the most listened-to experts, from Guido Silvestri to Matteo Bassetti, have repeatedly stressed the futility of such a measure), the extension of the categories for which vaccines are mandatory, and theintroduction of the mandatory tampon to access certain activities.

According to rumors leaked in the press yesterday, the venues for which the mandatory tampon could be introduced (thus for everyone, no-vax and pro-vax) would include discos, but according to some, also theaters and cinemas. Rumors about whether such a measure would be so devastating (given that going to see a show would require spending a sum that is certainly not small, thus to be added to the cost of the ticket, without calculating the hassle of having to go to the pharmacy to get a tampon) could cause the sector has sparked a revolt, and some trade associations (AGIS - Italian Entertainment Agency, ANEC - Associazione Nazionale Esercenti Cinema, ANFOLS - Associazione Nazionale Fondazioni Lirico-Sinfoniche and Federvivo) have written a letter-appeal to Draghi, signed by their respective presidents (Carlo Fontana, Mario Lorini, Francesco Giambrone and Filippo Fonsatti) to express all their disappointment.

“Illustrious President, the news that appeared in the press about a possible tampon obligation for cinema and theater-goers,” the letter reads, “has created great concern in the sector. It is worth mentioning here that those who participate in cultural activities must have super green passes, a measure we strongly support, and use personal protective equipment at all times. Spacing out in performance venues is ensured by immovable seating and highly controlled audience management, as stipulated in the Guidelines of the Conference of the Regions. To add to this the requirement of a buffer would result in a very strong disincentive to participation and weaken the very effective tool of the super green pass.”

“All of this,” the letter continues, “will create even less economic sustainability, costing businesses hundreds of millions of euros, given the particular holiday season, and further hardship for tens of thousands of workers already deeply affected by the pandemic fallout. The safety of cinemas and theaters is, for all the reasons stated, out of the question and, among other things, represented with conviction by institutional campaigns, which we have promoted together with the Ministry of Culture.”

“We therefore ask you,” the associations appeal, “for your authoritative intervention to prevent incalculable and, probably, no longer recoverable damage to this sector. We are certain that, while respecting the needs of public health, you will agree with us that the measures in place already guarantee absolute safety.”

“The pandemic, as you defined it in our meeting at the time of the establishment of the government you presided over,” the missive concludes, “also represented, among other things, a ’devastating cultural disaster.’ We ask you to avoid further consequences that could result from excessively restrictive measures.”

Pictured: the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, with seats marked to comply with physical spacing.

Mandatory buffers for cinemas and theaters? It would be incalculable damage

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