Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti made an announcement on Monday that he was taking a 'hard pause' on the time movie theatres in the city can reopen, citing the rise in the number of coronavirus or COVID-19 cases.
The Los Angeles County is the largest movie theatre market in the US. "We have hit a hard pause on opening any more businesses such as movie theaters, bowling alleys, playgrounds, concert halls, theme parks or other entertainment venues," Garcetti mentioned at a news briefing.
LA Mayor Not to Reopen Theatres due to COVID-19 Crisis
He did not give a date for when movie theaters in Los Angeles might be given the green light to reopen. The theater business has been devastated by the coronavirus shutdowns that began in mid-March, laying off tens of thousands of employees and borrowing funds to stay afloat.
On Monday AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc, the nation's biggest movie theater chain, said it had delayed the reopening of its venues in the United States by two weeks to July 30. Garcetti said the rise in coronavirus cases in Los Angeles in the last few days meant that it was "time for a collective course correction."
(With agency inputs)
