TEHRAN – The Cinema Organization of Iran (COI) and Iran’s Emergency Medical Services have teamed up to educate theater owners and personnel on health protocols as the movie theaters are ready to reopen after the COVID-19 shutdown. 

COI director Hossein Entezami and the Emergency Medical Services director Pirhossein Kulivand discussed the issue in a meeting held on Sunday. 

Kulivand said that the Emergency Medical Services is fully prepared to increase the health knowledge of people and to collaborate with movie theater owners. 

Entezami also said that he appreciated the efforts made by nurses, doctors and the Emergency Medical Services in the battle against the new virus and said that Iran’s cinema will gratefully accept any bilateral cooperation.

On Saturday, President Hassan Rouhani said that the movie theaters and concert halls will resume activities with 50 percent of their capacity on June 21 after an over three-month-long closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

He made the remarks in a meeting held at the Coronavirus Combat and Prevention Headquarters, adding that it is necessary to observe healthcare protocols.

Earlier last week, COI announced that the movie theaters in the so-called “white areas” or regions with no coronavirus hospitalizations in the past two weeks are allowed to reopen.

The cinemagoers were told to observe social distancing, while the employees were asked to wear face masks and plastic gloves.

Fever tests before entering the cinemas, frequent sanitization of the halls and public restrooms, as well as the screening of a video on how to protect oneself from the coronavirus before the feature film are also among the regulations required by the headquarters.

In a letter sent earlier to President Hassan Rouhani, the Association of Iranian Theater Owners asked to lift the coronavirus restriction on cinemas, calling for reopening of the theaters across the country based on the health protocols during the pandemic.

In addition, the Cinema Organization of Iran has recently announced that Iranian cineastes can resume their activities in the near future.

Photo: Cinema Organization of Iran (COI) director Hossein Entezami (1st L) and Emergency Medical Services director Pirhossein Kulivand (1st R) discuss reopening of movie theaters after an over three-month-long closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic on June 7, 2020. 

RM/MMS/YAW