Theaters and cinemas will be able to welcome the public to their maximum capacity as of February 28, Prime Minister François Legault announced on Tuesday. The government’s deconfinement plan finally responds to the request of the cultural community for a concrete schedule of relaxations and thus more predictability.
Posted at 1:15 p.m.
The cultural industry will soon be able to start running at full throttle again, but an exception applies to arenas, namely the Bell Center and the Videotron Centre, which will remain at 50% capacity until March 14.
Another major announcement: also from March 14, performance halls without seats, for the moment still excluded from the relaxations in cultural places, will be able to reopen. The same will be true for dance floors and karaoke.
Until reopenings at full capacity, theaters (with seats) and cinemas will continue to welcome spectators at 50% of their capacity. From February 21, however, the maximum capacity of 500 people currently in force will be lifted.
For outdoor events, we will move to a possibility of 1000 people to 5000 from February 14. From March 14, there will be no limit on spectators.
Cultural places have resumed service since Monday, but under several restrictions. In the sector, we have long called for a longer-term vision to be offered by the government. For a recovery in the best conditions, predictability is essential, it is argued.
The date of February 28 thus marks an important moment for the cultural industry, which has been shut down since December 20, the date of the third closure of performance halls and cinemas since the start of the pandemic. The ticketing assistance measures are maintained until March 7 for the moment.
Wearing a mask will remain compulsory, as will the vaccination passport, in all cultural places.