Due to COVID-19, new rules and social norms have arisen. Social gatherings are restricted to small groups, and it is recommended for people to stay in their homes. Recently, one changing aspect of our daily lives has become more visible: movie theaters. 

On Oct. 12, Cineworld, the parent company of Regal Cinemas, announced that it would be temporarily closing its theaters. 

It is natural for a business to want to stay open. However, Cineworld is doing what is best for the public good by closing their theaters. Their new policies and protocols do not adequately protect their audiences from the virus. 

Watching a film at Regal Cinemas is inherently risky by nature of being indoors. According to the Texas Medical Association, the risk of going to the movie theater is at level eight. The exposure time is the length of the movie one is watching, which is an average of about two hours. Regal Cinemas would need to hire employees who would be strict with adherence to new safety policies, especially mask-wearing and social distancing. There is no guarantee that every employee will meet those standards.

Dr. Jones, an expert in epidemics and epidemiology, explains the dangers of long exposure times: “This virus is transmitted through air particles, and it is spread mostly between people who are within six feet of each other for 10 to 15 minutes.” 

He expanded on why this was important for theaters “to keep patrons six feet apart, constantly… [because] two hours, which is about the length of a movie, is a long time to be in a room with people who you don’t know may be sick.” 

Because of the need to keep customers at least six feet apart, having two empty seats between groups in the theater is not enough space. Two theater chairs are about 44 inches in width, which is a little over two feet shy of six feet. There should also be an empty row of seats separating groups. Increasing the amount of space between each group—while compliant with social distancing guidelines—would drop Regal Cinemas’ capacity from its desired 50% to something closer to 25%.  

The new social distancing protocols for the theaters are not enough to keep customers a safe distance apart. There is too long of an exposure period, and there is no guarantee that the theaters will enforce mask-wearing rules. Until Cineworld puts forward new policies which solve these issues, Regal Cinemas are not reducing the risk that comes with going to movie theatres. The closing of Regal Cinemas is the best option during these uncertain times.