Movie goers confident with SOP at cinemas
TAWAU: Most movie goers agreed with the reopening of cinemas and believed that cinema operators would adhere to the standard operating procedure (SOP) set by the government.
Eastern Cineplex Tawau started operating a few days ago and followed the SOP as instructed by conducting temperature check at the main entrance and provided customers with hand sanitizer.
Regular customer, Anis Syahirah Binti Khairul Parman, 20, said it was good the government had allowed cinemas to reopen as the cases of Covid-19 had decreased tremendously.
"It is time to get back on track, people working at the cinemas need source of income," she said.
Anis believed if the SOP was followed, infection would not spread in cinemas compared to when patronising mall and supermarket that had more visitors.
"With the right guidelines, I am confident to go to the cinema,"
Anis said, adding that all kind of businesses were affected during the movement control order period.
However, she said with many people struggling due to the Covid-19 impact, not many would frequent entertainment places, especially those who had lost their job.
She said cinema would be struggling to stay afloat and hoped the staff would not be retrenched or their pay cut.
Meanwhile, Mohamad Idham Bin Bakkeri, 20, said cinema was one of the entities in entertainment industry which contributed to the economy and the reopening of cinemas showed that the government was slowly phasing to reopen certain sectors to bring back life to the economy.
He said during the MCO, the incomes of cinemas were affected just like other industries.
Idham was confident the cinemas would go by the SOP where their staff would check customers' body temperature first and taking the necessary details before letting customer in.
"The staff will also make sure movie goers sit at a safe distance from each other."
He said there was a possibility that the ticket price would be increased to recover losses during the MCO.
Anis and Idham also hoped that everyone would follow the SOP and support the local cinemas.