Beijing to impose 50% cap on cinemas during holiday

BEIJING — Beijing will cap the maximum seating capacity of cinemas citywide at 50 percent during the upcoming Spring Festival holiday due to COVID-19 concerns, local authorities said on Feb 5.

The restriction will be effective from Feb 11 to 17, according to the Beijing Municipal Film Administration.

A number of Beijing cinemas told Xinhua reporters that they are considering adjusting screening schedules for the period or refunding presale tickets in line with the restriction.

The capital city has continued to take stringent epidemic prevention and control measures despite the general containment of the recent COVID-19 resurgence. The city has reported no new local COVID-19 infections since Jan 30.

The Spring Festival, or the Chinese Lunar New Year, falls on Feb 12 this year.