Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday announced the reopening of movie and drama theatres in the state from October 22, strictly adhering to Covid protocols. He also said that the state government will soon issue the standard operating procedure (SOPs) in this regard.
The decision was announced at a meeting of the COVID-19 task force, which was also attended by Shiv Sena’s Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut, state chief secretary Sitaram Kunte, filmmakers Rohit Shetty and Kunal Kapoor, Marathi actors Subodh Bhave, Aadesh Bandekar, theatre personality Makarand Deshpande and other prominent personalities.
The State Government on previous day had announced that physical classes in schools would resume across the state from October 4, and all religious places in the state will be allowed to open for the public from October 7.
Theatres and movie halls across India have been closed since April this year when the second wave of COVID-19 hit the country. Though Maharashtra has recorded the highest overall Covid cases in the country, the state is gradually easing restrictions as vaccination gains pace. In Mumbai, 41 per cent of the population has got fully vaccinated and 88 per cent of the people have received their first dose.