Maharashtra government allows reopening of theatres from 22 October

Mumbai, Sep 25: Uddhav Thackeray's government in Maharashtra has allowed cinema halls to start operations from 22 October. However, the theatres should mandatorily follow Covid-19 protocols, the government said.

The Maharashtra CM had a meeting on Saturday with Covid-19 task force and it was attended by Shiv Sena's Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut, state chief secretary Sitaram Kunte, filmmakers Rohit Shetty and Kunal Kapoor, theatre personality Makarand Deshpande, Marathi actors Subodh Bhave, Aadesh Bandekar, among others

The cinema halls will have to follow the standard operating procedure (SOPs) which will be issued by the state government soon. The government's decision in this regard comes a day after it gave permission to reopening of religious places from 7 October.

On the same day, the Maharashtra government took a decision on the reopening of schools in the state. It has given permission to conduct offline classes for 5 to 12 classes in rural areas and 8 to 12 classes in urban areas, Varsha Gaikwad said.

In the meeting, it was announced that cinema halls and drama theatres will be allowed to function from October 22, provided they follow all COVID-19- related health protocols. On Friday, the state government had announced the reopening of religious places from October 7 and issued an SOP for devotees and officials managing places of worship to ensure strict implementation of coronavirus-related protocols.

The same day, the government had also announced that physical classes in schools would resume across the state from October 4. Classes 5 to 12 in all the schools in rural areas and Classes 8 to 12 in urban areas would resume, school education minister Varsha Gaikwad said on Friday.

However, the government said that there is no compulsion for students to come to schools as they can receive education through both online and offline modes. "Students will come to schools only with consent of their parents, attendance will not be made compulsory for any beneficiary scheme or exam. Students will be able to receive education through both online and offline mediums. Our content is available on YouTube too," Varsha Gaikwad added.

Meanwhile, the decision on reopening schools in Mumbai has not been taken yet.