CINEMAS, THEATRES AND CULTURAL VENUES IN CITY REOPEN AT 30% CAPACITY

Buenos Aires City Mayor Horacio Rodríguez Larreta confirms cultural venues can “raise the curtain” once more after long pandemic shutdown.

Theatres, cinemas, and other cultural spaces in Buenos Aires City reopened on Friday, a welcome move for producers and punters alike after a long coronavirus shutdown.

Entertainment venues – many of which have failed to survive during the pandemic given extended closures – will reopen with a maximum capacity of 30 percent and orders to comply with all current health and safety protocols.

Buenos Aires City Mayor Horacio Rodríguez Larreta confirmed the news on Thursday at the Multitabaris Theatre on the capital’s famed Corrientes Avenue, alongside City Culture Minister Enrique Avogadro, entertainment producer Carlos Rottemberg, and actresses Moria Casán, Thelma Biral and Nora Cárpena.

“What a joy that the curtain is raised again in all the [entertainment] halls of the City!” celebrated the opposition leader on Twitter. “Culture is the soul of the City and we want to continue maintaining these activities taking care of ourselves.”

Rodríguez Larreta said that 12 productions would return to the stage this weekend. In addition to a cap on attendance, patrons must clean their footwear and have their temperature taken upon arrival, while remaining at a constant distance of at least two metres between groups (with a fixed seating arrangement, to boot).

Covid-19’s impact on Argentina’s cultural sector, which includes entertainment and artistic venues and is a major source of employment nationwide, has been devastating. Financially, the industry is the third-most affected by government restrictions, which began in March last year, surpassed only by the hospitality and construction sectors.

The consequences of these measures, meant to protect the nation’s citizens, run deep. As restrictions wind down, many theatres and cinemas lie shuttered. Thousands of consumers also have made the switch to an all-digital entertainment diet.

Viewing the crisis from a macroeconomic perspective, the sector’s IVA (VAT) tax contributions dropped by 27 percent last year, negatively impacting upon Argentina’s national economy.

The strain on cinemas and theatres has been especially noticed in the federal capital, where the entertainment industry plays a major role.

NA/MARIANO SÁNCHEZ City Mayor Horacio Rodríguez Larreta was joined by Moria Casan and other artists onstage to promote the reopening of the capital’s theatres.