TS shutdown, next 10 days crucial
State Cabinet decides to close schools, colleges; weddings must have only 200 guests
To contain the Coronavirus (Covid-19), the State Cabinet on Saturday ordered the immediate closure of all educational institutions, both governmental and private, till March 31.
The ongoing intermediate and other board examinations will however be held on schedule.
RTC buses and the Metro rail services will run as usual.
The Cabinet decided not to close shopping malls, supermarkets, shops and other establishments.
Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao said the Cabinet sanctioned `500 crore to meet any eventuality, at the disposal of the Chief Secretary.
KCR said the inmates in government residential schools will be sent home except those appearing for examinations. All educational institutions right from primary to post-graduation and coaching centres will close till March 31.
He warned that any violation will be viewed seriously; permissions and accreditations to such institutions will be cancelled.
Appealing to people to stay away from mass gatherings, the Chief Minister announced that any public meeting, rally, seminar, conclave, exhibition, cultural programmes and trade fairs will not be allowed till further orders.
Advising people who have fixed marriages before March 31 to perform the marriage with a limited gathering of 200
(100 each from the bride’s and groom’s side), he ordered the management of function halls and marriage halls not to allow any bookings after March 31 till further orders. He ordered for closure Indoor and Outdoor stadiums, Swimming Pools, Zoo Parks, Museums, and Amusement Parks till March 31.
He announced that all kinds of sports event stands cancelled till March 31.
The Telugu film industry is in for a tough time because of the Covid-19 outbreak. The Telangana state government on Saturday evening announced that cinema halls and other public gatherings have been prohibited. Insiders, including producers and multiplex owners, said the move, while necessary, would have long-standing ramifications for the industry.
Even before the government had announced the measure, the industry had started feeling the jitters. In a major development, producer Dil Raju’s Sri Venkateswara Creations announced that it would be indefinitely postponing the release of V, featuring Nani and Aditi Rao Hydari. It was scheduled to release on March 25.
Nani’s extremely active community of “fans” was devastated by the development. A member of one fan group on Facebook said he would have watched the movie if it were released now, even at the risk of contracting the virus.
A source close to Raju said the production house didn’t have a choice. “We have been noticing the gradual drop in footfalls across theatres in the Telugu states. People are simply not coming because of Covid19. It made no sense for us to release such a big-budget movie right now. For a movie like this to be profitable, we need everyone to see it, not just the die-hard fans. Also, since we don’t know when the situation will get better, we have not announced a new date,” he said.
The shutdown, sources said, would have a marginally lower impact because of its “lucky” timing. March is usually a dull time because it is exam season. Things pick up in the last week, when exams get over. That is when the blockbusters are released. A producer said the biggest losers due to the shutdown will be the theatre owners who have leased their properties to “exhibitors.”
“It is a peculiar practice in Telugu cinema. Exhibitors are people who buy the right to screen movies and rent theatres to do so. They pay monthly rents to the owners. Now they won’t be required to do so. Exhibitors, who are the most powerful people in the industry, will save a great deal. On the other hand, theatre owners will have to dig into their pockets to sustain their staff,” the producer said.
The owner of a multiplexmall complex from Attapur said the situation was indeed bad. His multiplex and the shops in the complex had been reporting low footfall since the end of February. “If this shutdown continues for another month, we will have a lot of problems,” he said. He, however, noted that some malls in the IT corridor areas such as Madhapur and Kondapur were still experiencing brisk business due to the ‘IT crowd’. “These malls will experience the biggest losses now. IT employees were still happy to watch movies, now they won’t have the opportunity,” he said.
Speaking to Deccan Chronicle in the afternoon, before the announcement was made, D. Suresh Babu of Suresh Productions, one of the largest production companies in the Telugu film industry, termed the situation as “pure chaos”. But he added that the theatre shutdown would become just another news cycle, indicating that there were more important things going on.
K.L. Damodara Prasad, producer and secretary of the Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce (TFCC), termed the Covid-19 situation a “natural calamity”. “It is too early to assess the monetary losses. However, it is clear that there will be many effects. Releases of movies are being delayed. Shoots are being cancelled, especially those planned overseas because of travel restrictions,” he said.
It is learnt that except for actor Prabhas and actress Pooja Hegde, who are in Georgia, most actors and production houses have cancelled their overseas shoots. An insider said they will be forced to make logistical changes and shoot for these portions within India. The source close to Dil Raju said, “Most productions will wait for a few days for improvement. If this doesn’t happen, they will shoot in India itself. Delaying shoots, and thereby releases, is not practical after a point.”