Coronavirus Outbreak: Texas movie theatres, museums to operate at 25% capacity from Friday, announces governor

Washington DC: Texas Governor Greg Abbott has announced that movie theatres will be allowed to reopen on Friday (local time), along with restaurants, retail stores and museums. [caption id=“attachment_6960911” align=“alignnone” width=“1200”]  Movie theatre. Representational image[/caption] (Click  here  to follow LIVE updates on coronavirus outbreak) According to Variety, Texas becomes the latest state to allow theatres to open, even though the major chains are not expected to restart business until at least July. Georgia allowed its theatres to reopen on Monday, though as yet it appears that few, if any, have chosen to do so. Many companies would choose to remain closed, Abbott acknowledged and said, “This is permission to open, not a requirement.” The Governor of Texas added that the theatres and other establishments would be allowed to operate at only 25 percent capacity, which may make it uneconomical for many businesses to operate. Also, without the support of major studio releases, the major theatre chains are unlikely to reopen. And in turn, the movies are unlikely to be distributed until theatres across the country are able to screen them. Abbott also said that barbershops, hair salons, bars and gyms would not be allowed to reopen under the initial phase. However, he said he hoped they would reopen by mid-May. Other states including South Carolina, Oklahoma and Alaska, have also taken steps to reopen. Many states have issued ‘stay at home’ orders that expire on 30 April. Texas, with a population of nearly 30 million, is by far the largest state to reopen so far.