Dear Playhouse Friends,
Our priority is to keep our community and our staff safe. As of Feb 2021, Hamilton is in Red, which means cinemas are not open to the public; however, private rentals of event spaces are allowed (no more than 10 people).
This is what we have done:
- reduced seating capacity to 50 seats (applicable in Orange).
- installed plexiglass shields at our box office / concession stand
- hand-sanitizers for guest use throughout the cinema
- ensured ample physical distancing by cordoning off "no sit" zones in the cinema
- increased fresh air exchange ventilation and upgraded HVAC filtration in the cinema.
- placed markers and signs in the cinema to remind patrons of 2 metre physical distancing; stantions to guide patrons' movements
- trained staff in increased (constant!) cleaning and preventative hygiene measures
- reduced showtimes with more time between shows for extra cleaning and sanitizing, and to eliminate line-ups
This is what we ask of you:
- we will require all patrons to wear a mask upon entering the cinema. Unless patrons are eating or drinking, or have a medical condition that prevents the wearing of a mask, patrons are required to wear masks during the film (in accordance with Waterloo Region bylaw)
- consider buying tickets and snacks in advance online or use debit "tap" (it's touch-free!)
- please maintain 2 metre physical-distancing.
- we will require you to sign-in with your email or phone number for contact-tracing purposes (if you purchase tickets online, we will have your email already)
- we will need you to answer in the negative to the following questions:
- Have you experienced a fever of 38.0C or greater in the past 14 days?
- Have you received a positive result from a COVID-19 test within the past 14 days?
- In the past 14 days, have you been in close contact with anyone that has or had symptoms of COVID-19 that required to quarantine?
- In the past 14 days, have you or someone you have been in close contact or traveled to an area that required quarantine upon return?
-
In the past 14 days, have you experienced any of the following new symptoms not attributed to another health condition?
Cough
Loss of smell or taste
Runny nose
Shortness of breath
Sore throat
None of the above
It goes without saying that we will ensure our health and the health of our staff through daily monitoring. As owner/operators and residents of Hamilton, the health of our community is of utmost importance to us.
With the measures we have taken and in light of the fact that our auditorium is a well-ventilated large room, we strongly believe that cinema-going is a safe activity. Indeed, statistics back up this claim: there have been ZERO covid-19 outbreaks connected to cinemas globally [1]!
As ever, thanks for the support and we hope to see you at the movies soon! Keep wearing your masks and washing your hands :)