SOPs for cinema halls include: alternate seats to be left vacant; only packaged food to be allowed; and physical distancing of at least six feet outside auditoriums. (Express photo by Abhinav Saha/file)
AMID FEARS that the coming festive season could see a surge in Covid-19 cases, the Health Ministry on Tuesday issued guidelines for organising events which see large gatherings. These include ensuring adequate space for such events with a detailed site map and proper markings to maintain social distancing, not allowing touching of “statues, idols and holy books”, and thermal screening.
With cinema halls set to open from October 15, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry also released a set of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs): cinema halls to operate at half their capacity maintaining “one-seat distance”, no food to be delivered inside, only packaged food allowed, mandatory face masks and thermal screening, staggered show timings, contact number to be taken to facilitate contact tracing later, if required.
The Health Ministry said festive events will be permitted “only outside containment zones”. “Events planned to last for many days or weeks such as exhibitions, fairs, puja pandals, Ram Lila pandals, or concerts and plays should have adequate measures to ensure a cap on physical numbers. Staggered timings and restricted entry may be considered,” it said.
Story continues below this ad
“As far as feasible, recorded devotional music/songs may be played and choir or singing groups should not be allowed,” it said. “In religious places, touching of statues/ idols / holy books etc shall not be allowed,” it added.
It said that people residing inside containment zones “may be encouraged” to observe all festivals inside their homes and “not move out”. The event sites should have a designated isolation room or space for isolating any person found to be symptomatic.
“Close circuit cameras may be considered to monitor compliance of physical distance norms, wearing of masks at each venue,” it said. “All events must plan for medical care arrangements with linkages to nearest hospitals to attend to health emergencies,” it said. “The structure/ space/ venue for the event must also ensure adequate natural cross-ventilation,” it said.
“In case of rallies and processions, route planning, identification of immersion sites, ensuring cap on numbers, physical distancing etc. must be planned beforehand and measures for enforcement outlined,” it said.
Story continues below this ad
The I&B Ministry’s SOPs for cinema halls include: alternate seats to be left vacant, to be marked as “not to be occupied”; only packaged food and beverages to be allowed; physical distancing of at least six feet outside the auditoriums, common areas and waiting areas; mandatory use of face masks; availability of hand sanitisers, preferably in touch-free mode; digital no-contact transactions should be the preferred mode for issue/ verification/ payments for tickets, food and beverages; contact number to be taken at the time of booking tickets to facilitate contact tracing; thermal screening; staggered entry and exit to avoid crowding.
The I&B Ministry said states and Union Territories “may consider proposing additional measures as per their field assessment”.
Kaunain Sheriff M is an award-winning investigative journalist and the National Health Editor at The Indian Express. He is the author of Johnson & Johnson Files: The Indian Secrets of a Global Giant, an investigation into one of the world’s most powerful pharmaceutical companies.
With over a decade of experience, Kaunain brings deep expertise in three areas of investigative journalism: law, health, and data. He currently leads The Indian Express newsroom’s in-depth coverage of health.
His work has earned some of the most prestigious honours in journalism, including the Ramnath Goenka Award for Excellence in Journalism, the Society of Publishers in Asia (SOPA) Award, and the Mumbai Press Club’s Red Ink Award.
Kaunain has also collaborated on major global investigations. He was part of the Implant Files project with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), which exposed malpractices in the medical device industry across the world. He also contributed to an international investigation that uncovered how a Chinese big-data firm was monitoring thousands of prominent Indian individuals and institutions in real time.
Over the years, he has reported on several high-profile criminal trials, including the Hashimpura massacre, the 2G spectrum scam, and the coal block allocation case. Within The Indian Express, he has been honoured three times with the Indian Express Excellence Award for his investigations—on the anti-Sikh riots, the Vyapam exam scam, and the abuse of the National Security Act in Uttar Pradesh. ... Read More
3 min read
