All cinema halls and theatres in Maharashtra are permitted to reopen after October 22, said Chief Minister's Office (CMO) on Saturday as the state government relaxes norms after witnessing a drop in COVID-19 cases.
"Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has announced that cinemas and theaters in the state will be allowed to open after October 22 in compliance with health norms," read the statement from the CMO.
It further stated that work is underway to prepare a detailed Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) in this regard and it will be announced soon.
The Chief Minister held discussions with Task Force members, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut, Chief Secretary Sitaram Kunte, Additional Chief Secretary Health Dr Pradeep Vyas and producers Rohit Shetty, Kunal Kapoor, Makrand Deshpande, Subodh Bhave, Adesh Bandekar and dignitaries in the field of drama.
"Theatres and auditoriums in Maharashtra will open after 22nd October 2021 while observing all COVID safety protocols. SOP is in the works and will be declared soon," CMO Maharashtra tweeted.
This announcement comes a day after Maharashtra CMO announced that all places of worship will reopen from October 7, while following COVID-19 protocols.
"All places of worship will reopen for devotees from the first day of Navaratri, i.e., 7th October 2021, while observing all COVID safety protocols," tweeted CMO.
Meanwhile, the Maharashtra government on Friday announced to reopen schools from October 4. State's Education Minister Varsha Gaikwad said that the Chief Minister has approved the reopening of schools in consultation with the task force and health department.
According to the state's health department, Maharashtra reported 3,286 new COVID-19 cases, 3,933 recoveries and 51 fatalities on Friday. The recovery rate is 97.23 per cent and case fatality rate is 2.12 per cent.
( With inputs from ANI )
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