Theatres, cinemas disheartened by ongoing shutdowns in light of public-health orders
Dr. Bonnie Henry extends restrictions to January 8, 2021
Photo by Tyler Callahan via Unsplash.
LIFE AS WE know it amid COVID-19 in B.C. is here to stay until well into the New Year. Dr. Bonnie Henry has extended the province’s current public-health orders, meaning restrictions will remain in place until midnight January 8, 2021.
Local arts professionals are disheartened by the upshot of the December 7 briefing.
Over the weekend of December 4, there were 2,020 new cases of COVID-19, for a total of 38,152 cases in B.C. to date. There are 9,380 active cases; 349 people are hospitalized, 77 of whom are in ICU. There were 35 new deaths, for a total of 527 deaths in B.C.
With the current public-health orders extended, musical and theatre performances as well as movie viewings in cinemas continue to be suspended. These activities fall under the category of “events and social gatherings”, which also includes indoor and outdoor holiday events (with the exception of drive-in and drop-off events), galas, silent auctions, and outdoor skating events.
“We are very disappointed that the arts are continuing to be locked down while other more risky businesses are allowed to continue,” the Rio Theatre CEO and owner Corinne Lea told Stir. “They’ve made an exception for drive-ins; we are hoping they will do the same for theatres, where there have been no documented transmissions or outbreak.”
The Rio’s film programmer, Rachel Fox, noted that having the current restrictions in place until January 8 is especially gutting.
“To blow out Christmas and New Year’s and the break really negatively impacts our chance to make up for lost time in a period that historically does really well for us,” Fox said.
Drive-in events (religious services and holiday light festivals) and drop-off events (toy drives and holiday hampers) may proceed with a limited number of people and a COVID-19 safety plan, with a maximum of 50 cars. People must stay in their cars.
All indoor and outdoor sports for people 19 years of age and older are suspended.
Restaurants, pubs, and bars can continue to operate if they have a COVID-19 safety plan and employee protocols in place. Patrons must wear a mask when not at a table, and there is a maximum of six people allowed per table.
All non-essential travel is to be avoided, including travel into and out of B.C. and between regions of the province.
Jessica Schneider, executive director of the Massey Theatre, noted that the Province of BC seems to be working collaboratively with faith leaders; it’s the kind of consultation she’d like to see take place with B.C.’s arts sector. She is keen to see a task force headed by the Firehall Arts Centre’s Donna Spencer come to fruition, though it’s unlikely anything will happen until the New Year.
Schneider stresses that she understands and supports the health orders and that she’s grateful for the recent federal and provincial announcements of funding for the arts. She can’t help but feel perplexed, however, as to why certain sectors are able to offer in-person operations while the arts aren’t.
“I still wonder why there’s no interest in looking at the arts,” Schneider told Stir. “We just need to have them [the Province} understand what will make a difference for us. If we set up our space exactly like a restaurant, we still wouldn’t be allowed to do it, and I struggle with that. And the malls are going to be packed.
“It’s not that I want everybody shut down, but how are we so misunderstood?” she said. “It’s boiling down to values…. There’s a social value here that’s being misapplied.”
Schneider noted that it’s difficult to be in limbo, bracing for updates every two weeks to see what might be in store for the cultural sector: “The question is what comes next?”
Stir has reported on the concerns arts groups have about being able to survive the financial effects of the restrictions. In a recent open letter to Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix, the Rio Theatre’s Lea noted that a movie screening should not be categorized as an event, as doing so “lacks an understanding” of how the industry actually operates.
“Film screenings are distinctly different from celebratory or ceremonial events such as weddings and other social gatherings, as patrons do not congregate or socialize at the movies,” Lea wrote. “It is very problematic to designate movie theatres as ‘events’ or ‘gatherings’ instead of treating us in a similar manner as restaurants, pubs and bars….Patrons attend a film as either solo individuals, or in small pods - much the same way they do at a restaurant or bar and all customers are seated at a safe distance.”
At the December 7 briefing, Henry discussed the way the holidays are going to look very different this year, with people opening presents via Zoom and gatherings being much smaller than usual. She also noted that despite the high number of cases this past weekend, we are starting to see a levelling-off of numbers.
“What we are doing, the measures we’re taking, are starting to work,” Henry said. “This means that what you are doing every day is making a difference, but we are not yet through this storm and we cannot let up now. All around us in every community, the virus continues to circulate.
“We can, though, still be festive,” she said. “We can still connect safely in a virtual way.”
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