Coronavirus: 3 vaccine doses for popcorn and movies? Some Hongkongers eager to return to cinemas under eased social distancing
- From April 21, film-goers and cinema staff must have had three vaccine doses in order for food and drinks to be served at venues
- Some residents say rule is impractical, while cinema operators are concerned about how to enforce it, citing difficulties in checking vaccination status
After hesitating for months, Hong Kong student Brendan Lee finally made up his mind to get his third jab of a coronavirus vaccine next week so that he could watch a film at the cinema while enjoying his favourite popcorn and soft drinks.
“We have no choice but to get fully vaccinated gradually along with the latest policy, if we want to get back to normal life,” the 22-year-old, a film lover, said on Thursday. Fully vaccinated is defined as having three doses of a Covid-19 vaccine.
His decision was triggered by the government announcement earlier in the day that the city would relax social-distancing measures imposed on a series of entertainment-related premises and restaurants since January.
From April 21, film-goers and cinema staff must have had three vaccine doses in order for food and drinks to be served at a cinema.
Exceptions will apply to children aged below 12, double-vaccinated residents who have recovered from Covid-19 within the last three months and those with exemption certificates.
According to the city’s existing vaccine pass scheme, residents are required to receive at least one vaccine dose by April 29 when entering a cinema. From April 30, two jabs are required.
Jenny Lau, 25, a teacher who recovered from Covid-19 on March 8, said the three-shot requirement for eating and drinking in the cinema would push her back home.
Lau said she had stayed and recovered at home during the fifth wave of infections, and did not request for a medical exemption certificate from a doctor.
“What’s the meaning of watching movies in the cinema without popcorn and coke?” she asked, adding that the new regulation was impractical.
“I am afraid that we need to spend a longer time on checking the vaccination status compared with watching a movie in the cinema,” she added.
Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor on Thursday said the three-jab requirement was not meant to create hurdles for cinema operators, but to provide an option.
“In terms of execution, after discussions between the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau and industry representatives, operators are willing to follow the arrangement. If they find problems, they can still operate but ban eating and drinking,” she said.
The Commerce and Economic Development Bureau said in a statement on Friday that cinema operators are allowed to arrange the schedule of screenings with food and beverage served according to their individual circumstances.
Broadway Circuit, which runs 13 cinemas, and Golden Harvest, with 10 cinemas, did not reveal whether they would resume selling food and drinks.
“We will discuss with the government for more details before any further arrangements,” a Broadway customer service officer said.
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Crucindo Hung Cho-sing, chairman of the Hong Kong Motion Picture Industry Association, said the sale of food and drinks was a core part of cinemas’ revenue and the three-jab requirement for staff and patrons would not be a problem.
But he said enforcement of the new rules could prove difficult and that staff might run into problems checking patrons’ vaccination status or ensuring that food and drinks were not served to those who did not receive all three vaccine doses.
“Basically all cinema staff have already been vaccinated thrice. For the sake of easy management, I believe all cinemas may require patrons to have received three shots to be allowed entry,” he said. “This will certainly have an impact on box-office takings.”
Hung said the city’s 64 cinemas running over 300 screens had suffered a loss of at least HK$1 million (US$127,500) per screen over the past few months.
“There will be a flood of young film-goers going to the cinemas once they are reopened. After all, they haven’t been there for a long time and are starved of entertainment.”
Broadway Circuit, the largest cinema circuit in Hong Kong with 13 theatres, started selling film tickets on Monday.
“I know you were starving for entertainment for over three months, see you later in the cinemas,” it said on its social media page on Tuesday.
Tickets for 15 films went on sale on Thursday, data from booking app Hong Kong Movie showed.
ACX Cinemas in North Point on Thursday said it would keep the food ban in place in the early stages of business resumption, citing manpower issues and health risks.
The company has teamed up with stores in Harbour North shopping centre in North Point to offer discounts for residents ahead of cinemas reopening next week.
Wong Wing-fung, director of ACX Cinemas, said he believed the promotions could help boost revenue.
“The temporary closures of the cinemas has caused us a huge loss, especially when we lost the ‘super golden period’ during Lunar New Year and Easter,” he said.
