Rather unequal health measures

The spectators are back in theaters and cinemas which must now respect clear sanitary measures: verification of the vaccination passport and wearing of the mask. The newspaper found that the application of government rules is uneven from room to room. Although the theaters systematically check the vaccination passport, the spectators do not all wear the mask. Members of the Performances section of Newspaper present you with some situations that they themselves have experienced in the past few weeks.

• Read also: New variant: travelers caught in a gray area

• Read also: Delivery apps don’t always help our restaurateurs

Recalcitrant popcorn lovers

At Kirkland cinema, the verification of the vaccination passport causes some inconvenience. On weekend evenings, crowds flock to the outside in front of the resort gates. That Sunday, for a performance of the new James bond, spectators had to wait in line for the two cinema attendants, installed inside, to check the vaccination passport and proof of identity. It was a bit long.

Further on, spectators had to show their admission ticket at the entrance to the theaters. In this case, the check was a bit chaotic due to too rushed spectators and insufficient staff. Only one attendant was in place to check tickets.

At Guzzo cinema in Dollard-des-Ormeaux, as elsewhere, the majority of spectators stocked up on popcorn and soft drinks before the performance and, once seated in the hall, hastened to remove their masks. Few of them put it back afterwards. At the ticket office, the attendant invited customers to wash their hands before the transaction.

At the beginning of November, it was rather quiet at the beginning of the evening of the week, at the cinema Cineplex Forum, to Montreal. No waiting at the entrance where an employee had all his time to check the vaccine passports and identity documents of customers. Our room, which presented the film that day The French Dispatch, was far from being fulfilled and allowed the twenty or so spectators to maintain a good distance between them. Most of them kept the mask on during the screening but some took the opportunity to remove it even if they did not eat food.

At the beginning of the evening at the end of October, a long line appeared in front of the cinema bank Scotia, in downtown Montreal. Two employees were stationed at the entrance of the establishment to check the vaccine passports and identity documents of clients. Everything was going smoothly, although the VaxiCode app sometimes seemed to cause some problems for the employees. Popcorn or not, the majority of customers were quick to remove their masks. Some even waited to be out of the room … and were reprimanded by the staff there.

Chilly Monday evening in November. In the room of Cineplex Sainte-Foy, around thirty moviegoers gathered for the screening of Dune. During viewing, those wearing the mask can easily be counted on one hand. Even spectators who have nothing to eat or drink ignore the rule. Moreover, before the beginning of the film, no message reminding the instructions is broadcast and no employee will come to check if the faces are covered.

End of November, at Beaubien cinema, moviegoers religiously respect the instructions. Passports are checked quickly. Popcorn or not, all wear their masks.

Rules observed at the Théâtre du Nouveau Monde

Premiere of the play The Queens at TNM. Quick check of vaccination passport and tickets. The crowd is disciplined. Rare recalcitrant do not wear the mask.

Masked humor

There was a crowd at the premiere of Marc Messier at the Outremont Theater, December 2. As there appeared to be only two employees assigned to checking vaccination passports and identity documents at the entrance, a long line of patient spectators formed outside. The entry process was a bit laborious and the show started about twenty minutes late. It was the same at intermission; the show resumed as there was a long line of people waiting at the bar. People wore their masks all evening except those who were drinking their drinks in the hall during the show.

Last Tuesday, fans of Louis-José Houde fully complied with the health measures in place during the first media coverage of A thousand bad choices, to Cabaret du Lion d’Or. Vaccination passport and identity document were checked at the entrance, while the masks remained on the faces all evening.

Everything went smoothly at the premiere of the showAndré-Philippe Gagnon at the Saint-Denis Theater, November 24. Immunization passports and identity cards were checked immediately upon entering, seating positions were assigned in advance, and since there was no longer any distance in the room, people wore their masks throughout the day. spectacle.

At MTELUS, on November 16, the organizers of the Patrice Michaud have chosen to keep the cabaret formula for its big comeback in Montreal. While the new rules once again allow shows with masked spectators, standing and being able to dance, we decided to keep the original formula (tables in the floor that can seat 2 bubbles per table, fixed places allocated in advance) and semi- distancing in the rest of the room out of respect for the spectators who bought their tickets with this formula, several months ago. The majority of people wore their masks throughout the evening, except for a row of ten people on the balcony who sang at the top of their lungs without being masked. During the last two songs of the encore, Patrice Michaud shouted “Get up! To a crowd who only asked for permission. People stayed in their places by dancing in place, singing under their masks and clapping their hands.

It was during the premiere of Rita Baga’s show at theMontreal Olympia that for the very first time we brandished our vaccination passport accompanied by an identity document. The check – in proper form – took just seconds, preventing a line from forming in front of the facility. Once inside, on the other hand, the wearing of the mask was rare at the tables, as many spectators had passed by the bar to stock up on refreshments and snacks. Few of them covered their faces to dance or walk the aisles before, during and even after the performance.

At Grand Theater of Quebec, at the premiere of the opera The elisir d’amore, last October 23, a man in his early sixties was immersed, without a mask, in reading his program. He was instructed to wear it. Some spectators, in the baskets, chose not to put it during the performance. Most of the rules have been respected.

On a Saturday in October, a “Halloween thematic” performance of the show took place. Candlelight to theNotre-Dame-des-Sept-Douleurs church, in Verdun. Fifteen minutes before the performance, a small line had formed outside. A group of four girls had obviously not prepared with the passport and let other spectators pass in front of them. the scan of the passport went without a hitch. Inside, a waiver was to be signed removing all responsibility from the Fever promoter should an outbreak occur. Sitting on the balcony with distance, we noticed two spectators not very far who had the mask under the chin during the whole show.

To the Place des Arts, one evening of premiere during the week, the spectators were feverish at the entrance of the rooms Maisonneuve and Jean-Duceppe. It was the crush. The agents were forced to carry out a hasty and summary check. We checked the vaccine passport one by one, but we often forgot the proof of identity. The attendants obviously felt compelled to act quickly since a crowd of spectators formed a few meters away, at the place where the tickets for the show were being checked. Once the double check was completed, spectators could move without too much difficulty to their seats. In the room, everything was more orderly. The spectators wore their masks.

To the Pauline-Julien room, in the West Island of Montreal, spectators were greeted in order by an army of masked volunteer attendants. One of them asked spectators to wash their hands, then another checked the vaccination passport and proof of identity. Farther on, another controlled the entrance to the auditorium. Then, in the room, another indicated the way to get to our place. Finally, the rare recalcitrant spectators were reminded that they had to wear the mask during the show.

Large crowds unmasked

The vaccine passport verification process is now a well-oiled mechanism for the Bell Center, as evidenced by the fluid entry during the concert of Dashing Cowboys, Thursday November 25. Once in the stands, however, the masks were quick to slip under the chin – or even disappear altogether – as spectators ignored the public health instructions in force … and this even if a recorded message reminded them to the order before the start of the show. It’s a bit the same scenario that we observed during the concert of Ricky martin at the Bell Center in October, first experience with simplified sanitary measures. The masks fall quickly when the crowd exceeds 5,000 spectators.

Instructions followed

At ComediHa! Quebec Club, it was the evening of the official opening. All guests and spectators had to show proof of vaccination, an exercise easily performed. Once seated in their seats, several spectators removed the mask to consume, but several forgot to put it back on. The host of the evening had to call to order before the start of the show.

A few minutes before the podcast recording The big tunes of …, with Sébastien Delorme and PA Méthot, on November 10, at ComediHa! Club de Québec, a majority of spectators had a glass of wine, sparkling wine or a beer in their hands or on their tables. Those who wore the face cover were in the minority. A host recalled, before the start of the recording, that wearing a mask was mandatory between sips, and the public, young, respected the instructions.

SEE ALSO …