Tuesday, November 23, 2021
Closed again in Saxony
Cinema operators are “madly angry”
For many cinema operators in Saxony, it is probably a déjà vu: They have to close their halls again because of the Corona situation. The industry is outraged and disappointed by the federal government.
With films like “James Bond: No Time to Die”, German cinemas have brought millions of people back to the screen in recent months. Now they have to close again in Saxony due to the increasing number of infections. “We are in the middle of the fourth wave and the government has not managed to prepare us in any way,” said Christine Berg, head of the association from the HDF Kino in Berlin. “We’re madly angry.”
Several federal states have recently tightened their rules, also to prevent the intensive care units from being overloaded. “We are all of the opinion: We have to take care of each other,” said Berg. The goal must be that the virus does not spread so quickly. It was acted too late, and the requirements are now excessive and not the same for everyone.
Large parts of public life in Saxony were restricted. Except for the libraries, all cultural and leisure facilities, bars, clubs and discos will remain closed. Tourists are no longer allowed to stay overnight and the restaurant is only allowed to open between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. with the 2G rule – i.e. only for those who have been vaccinated and those who have recovered.
Berg criticizes the fact that cinemas have to close while restaurants are allowed to open. Some of the cinemas followed stricter rules than necessary, leaving additional space between groups of visitors, for example. She is also skeptical about the 2G plus rule. Then, for example, you would only be allowed to go to the cinema if you had a negative test in addition to the vaccination. Berg fears that this could be too much of a hassle for some. She demanded that nationwide test stations and additional funding would be needed in this case.
After months of lockdown, many cinemas reopened in July. According to the Filmförderungsanstalt, there was no major death in the cinema in the first half of the year. About 34 million movie tickets have been sold since July, said Berg. The new “James Bond” adventure and the film adaptation “The School of Magical Animals” went well. Meanwhile the numbers have decreased again. Children in particular have barely had a chance to get to know the cinema in the past two years – and instead watched streaming services such as Netflix.