Italy will close all of its movie theaters amid a spike in COVID-19 (coronavirus) cases.
According to Deadline, Cinemas, live theaters, gaming halls and discos will be closed starting on Monday, while bars and restaurants will be forced to close every evening at 6 p.m. local time. The closures come after Italy recorded 19,644 coronavirus cases on Saturday, a new daily record for the European country. That day also saw 151 individuals die from the virus.
While not shutting down entirely, Spain also announced a nationwide curfew from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. amid its own spike in cases. It will last two weeks but will be extended if necessary.
The news comes as the U.S. also deals with skyrocketing numbers of coronavirus cases. On Friday, the country recorded over 80,000 daily cases, shattering the previous record of 76,533. With the virus continuously spreading across the country, theaters have been unable to convince the public to return to movie screens. At the same time, major studios are pushing off blockbuster films to 2021 or shifting them to streaming, as Disney is doing with its animated feature Soul.
Source: Deadline