The coronavirus is like a terrible disaster movie gone wrong. It is hardly surprising then that so many of us miss the days of being able to take shelter in a giant, darkened room.
As some theaters reopen in California, the big question is SHOULD we go back to the movies?
- The CDC notes there are several – what they call – “higher risk” activities. They include sporting events, restaurants, bars, flying, and movie theaters! When you think about it, it is common sense: a room, no windows, only two doors, no fresh air (just air conditioner), and 200 to 300 of your closest friends who you have not met yet.
- It is natural for the theaters to want us back when you consider chains like AMC have lost hundreds of millions in revenue throughout the pandemic. What will it be like when we return? There are moves afoot in the industry to create a kind of program showing how “safe” a cinema is for you to visit. However, the advice is solid from most epidemiologists and virologists: Do not do it!
- The virus can spread through aerosolized droplets that come out of our mouths when we talk or laugh. So, does that mean that watching comedies is out? However, people talk less in movies and face the same direction so that will slightly reduce the transmission risks. That is, until someone sneezes! “Hey, where did everybody go? Come on, man! It’s just my allergies!”
- The hard truth about all this is that the CDC and many other specialists believe that movie theaters are higher risk. Moreover, if you follow their guidelines you should most likely stay home for 14 days afterward! Would you be happy to do that just to see a Christopher Nolan movie?
- Drive-in movie, anyone?