- Los Angeles, America’s largest movie market, could re-open movie theaters as soon as this weekend.
- California Gov. Gavin Newsom said theaters could re-open if certain COVID-related goals are met.
- If allowed to re-open, LA theaters will still have to limit capacity to just 25%.
- Visit the Business section of Insider for more stories.
Los Angeles isn’t just where movies are made, it’s also the largest movie-going market in America.
And during the last 12 months, LA movie theaters have been closed due to the ongoing pandemic. That could finally end this weekend, according to California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
If Los Angeles County meets two critical metrics for new cases and vaccinations, Los Angeles movie theaters will be able to re-open with 25% capacity starting this Saturday.
In order to meet the criteria, LA County would need to have fewer than 1,000 new cases per day, CNBC reported. Additionally, statewide, 2 million vaccine doses must be administered to underserved populations.
During an address on Wednesday, Newsom said both metrics were on track to be met before the weekend.
Movie theaters in other parts of the US have already begun reopening as vaccines protecting against COVID have begun to roll out. New York City, for instance, reopened theaters last week at 25% capacity.
And some states, including Texas and Connecticut, have cleared theaters and other businesses for even larger reopenings without low capacity requirements.
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