Movie theatres in Vizag to reopen with 50 percent occupancy

As the number of Covid-19 cases are dropping, thereby flattening the curve, the Andhra Pradesh State Government has made changes to the night curfew timings. The night curfew in Vizag, which started on 1 July, has been slightly extended. Currently, the night curfew is till July 7 and the timings are from 9 PM to 6 AM. But from July 8, the night curfew will begin at 10 PM and end at 6 AM. Also, movie theatres in Vizag have now been allowed to open with 50 percent occupancy. 

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, had earlier extended the curfew timings after the positive rate had dropped below 5 percent in the Visakhapatnam District. A total of 11 districts in Andhra Pradesh have announced the night curfew from 10 PM to 6 AM, while the twin Godavari Districts will have a curfew from 7 PM to 6 AM. The Government has judged that these two districts are still reporting a high number of cases, with a positive rate of more than 5 percent, and hence, have decided to impose a curfew from 7 PM.

From 8 July, shops and restaurants have been permitted to remain open till 10 PM. All theatres in Vizag, on the other hand, are to run with 50 percent occupancy, with social distancing being followed. Also, wedding halls, restaurants, and gyms have been told to continue following Covid-19 norms while running their business.

 It may be recalled that a partial curfew was imposed in the city on May 2 and it was repeatedly extended observing the severity of the second wave. From 2,000 positive cases reported in May, the city is now reporting cases below 100 positive cases. 

In the ongoing night curfew, Visakhapatnam City Police have deployed two shifts of police teams, from the Law and Order, Traffic, and Crime Departments, which are taking up patrolling at various hotspots in the city. While a few teams are patrolling from 6 PM till midnight, the remaining few teams are patrolling from midnight to 6 AM.