Corona scare: Kolkata cinema halls say will decide soon on

Authorities of theatres in Kolkata have not yet decided to cancel the screening of films in wake of the coronavirus scare but will take a call after assessing the situation in a day or two, a cinema hall owner said on Saturday.

Asked if they are mulling cancelling shows as the Centre and the state government have advised against "large gatherings" at a place, the owner of Navina cinema, Navin Chokhani told PTI that a call will be taken on Sunday.

"We will also see if there is an advisory from the state government on this issue," Chokhani said, adding, there has been lesser footfall at the theatre in past two days.

 

He, however, did not share any figures.

"We are running the shows and people are watching films. As of now, there are no plans to suspend the shows due to coronavirus scare," the owner of Priya Cinema, Arijit Dutta, said.

"In the coming days, we will certainly do whatever the government asks us to do," Dutta said.

One of the owners of Basusree, Sourav Bose, said, "Our board of directors will make a decision very soon, considering all aspects, including public safety.

"Basusree has not witnessed much fall in crowd turnout, Bose said.

Inox Kolkata in a statement said that they are closely following all the advisories from the relevant government authorities at local, state and national levels.

"We have increased the frequency of our housekeeping and daily deep cleaning routines. Disinfectants are being used for sanitizing and wiping all touchpoints such as food countertops, box office counters, armrests, grab rails, door handles and knobs.

"Our cinema operations teams have been briefed about the precautions and preventive measures," the statement said.

The spokesperson of another multiplex chain said they have kept enough sanitizers at hand, regularly flashing dos and don'ts to prevent any infection on the digital display boards inside the lobby.

"We are screening the films listed in the schedule as usual. There has not been any decline in the number of audiences. But we will certainly decide what the government wants us to do," the spokesperson said.