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This story could begin with a Chinese account of epidemic contrasts . The first scene would be the opening of the cinemas after six months closed. The big screen turns on again this Monday in the second largest movie market in the world. Of course, only in areas classified as "low risk" and with many restrictions: distance between viewers, no popcorn and movies can not last more than two hours.

Then the second scene would come in: the coronavirus is still out there. In the south, in Hong Kong, they are already on the third wave of infections and day after day they add more than a hundred new cases. "The situation is very serious and there are no signs that this is being brought under control," said the head of the local executive, Carrie Lam. In the north, in the Xinjiang Autonomous Region , they have closed the capital, Urumqi. Authorities say they have entered "war mode" due to a strong outbreak. Most of the cases are related to a wedding held in early July.

The third scene would be bathed in water. In Wuhan, they do not remove the stigma of being the epicenter of the pandemic, but they had managed to cut the contagions and life had returned to normal, until the worst floods in more than three decades have come. The flood in central and southern China has already left at least 150 dead or missing , and more than two million people have been evacuated from their homes.

And in Beijing? The political center of the second world power today has lowered its level of emergency. Gone is the outbreak that came out of the largest food market in the city and left 335 infected. The Chinese capital has not reported a single case for two weeks . Now they are going to start opening some museums, libraries and gyms. Also the cinemas, although with very strict conditions.

Each screening room may not exceed 30% of its capacity . Tickets can only be purchased online. Hours before the opening, one million yuan (123.00 euros) had already been exceeded in tickets sold on online platforms. According to one of them, Maoyan, this Monday there are 6,101 screenings scheduled for 198 theaters across the country.

Each spectator must sit at a distance of more than one meter . Upon entering, everyone will go through temperature controls and must remain in the seats with their masks on. One of the most striking peculiarities of the restrictions is that the films cannot last more than two hours . In the case of a Hollywood blockbuster of more than 120 minutes, the film could be divided into two parts and viewers would watch it in two sessions on different days. They also won't be able to consume drinks in the halls or taste sweet popcorn.

Still, the opening of some of China's more than 42,000 cinemas will bring little relief to a highly touched industry. In 2019, the box office generated 7.9 billion euros in revenue. Comparing periods, during the first quarter of this year, benefits decreased 88%. According to the China Film Association, many of the theaters are on the verge of bankruptcy . The largest cinema exhibitor in the Asian country, Wanda Film Holding, acknowledges that it has lost 1.6 billion yuan (200 million euros) in the first six months of the year. In the same period of 2019, the company earned more than 65 million euros.

A few weeks ago, the Chinese Ministry of Finance and the Film Administration announced a series of financial incentives for the industry, including a year without value added taxes. In Beijing, for example, some 260 cinemas will receive payments from a "special development fund" of three million yuan (370,000 euros).

One of the most popular movies hitting Chinese box office is a children's film called 'A First Farewell', which tells the story of two Uighur children from the Xinjiang region. Although much of that area where the Uighur Muslim minority lives will have to wait to see the movie in theaters because a new outbreak will keep them closed.

CONFINEMENT OF 3.5 MILLION INHABITANTS

Urumqi , the capital of Xinjiang, was confined last Thursday after confirming her first local infection in four months : a 24-year-old woman who works in a shopping center. Today, 22 new cases of coronavirus have been reported across China. Of the new infections, 17 correspond to Urumqi, which already has fifty cases.

Authorities in this city of 3.5 million residents have said they will begin conducting "large-scale" nucleic acid tests to identify all carriers of Covid-19. A massive testing that we already saw in Beijing and Wuhan. Urumqi officials have also begun to close the communities where some of the cases have been located, and anyone entering the city must remain in quarantine. Meetings were banned yesterday and local media have reported that most of the infections are related to a wedding that took place earlier this month.

Unlike many other cities in China, Urumqi residents will have to wait to get through the new outbreak before their movie theaters reopen.

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Know more

  • China
  • Wuhan
  • Hong Kong
  • Coronavirus
  • Covid 19
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