With the United Kingdom taking steps to re-open in the wake of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, cinemas in the country will be allowed to do business again on July 4, though that date is tentative.
The cinema reopenings are dependent on the reduction of confirmed cases, and the date could be subject to change if the rate does not drop significantly. U.K. cinemas will be part of the final step of the country's re-opening public spaces, and theaters will have to implement guidelines to encourage distance between people and good hygiene. There will be "pilot re-openings" to test these new safety guidelines.
The UK Cinema Association (UKCA) responded to the news, telling Deadline, "We have made clear to the UK Government – and the devolved Governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – that, on the basis of our understanding of the safeguards that will need to be in place before cinemas can safely open, most venues will be ready to do so by the end of June. Today’s suggestion that this might be considered around 4 July is therefore welcome."
"But we recognize that there are a host of wider public health considerations which mean that that may not be possible, and we will of course respond accordingly," the statement continued. "Whenever cinemas are able once again to re-open, it is clear that all venues will need continued Government support until such time as business returns to something approaching normal levels of activity."