The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has stated that the Ghana Health Service (GHS) and the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) will announce the modalities for the re-opening of cinemas in the coming weeks.
He stated that the procedures are vital to maintaining the welfare of patrons and other business participants.
President Akufo-Addo noted that cinema operators must completely cooperate with the agreed-upon modalities and protocols before the industry can be reopened.
“In order to facilitate the reopening of cinemas and theaters, the government has worked with cinema owners and operators to develop a series of procedures and instructions that must be placed in effect and followed by all operators prior to the actual reopening. The Ghana Health Service and the Ghana Tourism Authority will announce these guidelines and necessary modalities in the coming weeks, and will collaborate with operators on a series of directives that will ensure the health and welfare of all patrons and workers in all facilities involved.”
This was mentioned by President Akufo-Addo during his address to the nation on the management of the outbreak in the country on Sunday, May 16, 2021.
Nana Akufo-Addo had told filmmakers that the government was considering reopening cinemas as a result of the COVID-19-induced restrictions.
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President Akufo-Addo said during the media launch of the Presidential Film Pitch Series at the Mövenpick Ambassador Hotel in Accra on Wednesday, April 28, 2021, that the filmmakers will hear from the COVID-19 taskforce shortly.
“I’d like to state unequivocally that the COVID-19 taskforce is constantly monitoring the opening of cinemas. And ideally, you will hear from the taskforce soon,” he said.
‘Open the cinemas’ campaign
In October 2020, the National Film Authority – Action Group (NFA-AG), a pressure group comprised primarily of film industry stakeholder associations and guilds, urged the government to take immediate action to lift restrictions on cinemas in Ghana.
On Wednesday, October 28, 2020, they presented the petition to the Presidency through the then Minister of Tourism, Arts, and Culture, Barbara Oteng Gyasi, saying, “This is to enable the film industry, like many other sectors, to begin its process of recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic.”
They claim that they made a similar request to the Ministry on August 4, 2020, but received no response.
They also stated in the letter that they have “carefully evaluated the potential spread of the virus at our cinemas,” and that a risk assessment has shown that such facilities are safe to reopen.
The group proposed an online booking system that allows cinemas and filmmakers to easily track and trace their customers, taking into account measures outlined by cinema operators and data submitted to the Ghana Tourism Board for review.
SOURCE: ATLFMONLINE
