Giftland theatres reopen today with stringent guidelines

Caribbean Cinemas, located at Giftland Mall at Lilendaal, Greater Georgetown, will be reopening its doors today under strict COVID-19 measures after months of closure.

The Mall would have made the announcement last week, noting that the ongoing pandemic has led to some changes to its operations as it relates to purchasing movie tickets and seating arrangements for customers.
On Thursday, Guyana Times was informed that persons are asked to use the online services to purchase tickets or concession items to reduce contact. If not, it can also be done directly at the cinema. When in line to access a facility or service, social distancing will be enforced.
For now, the seating arrangement will require spacing by leaving every two seats and between rows vacant. It is also mandatory to wear a face mask. The management has notified that prices for tickets remain unchanged, in light of concerns that it would be increased.
In July, Giftland Mall partially reopened its services as more businesses were allowed to operate, but the owner, Roy Beepat, had noted that some 200 employees were still off the job. Beepat explained that after being closed for months owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was difficult to re-employ the hundreds of employees. He added that his business suffered financial losses.
“We are thankful that we are opened again, and that we are allowed to operate again. We feel that the country has lost a lot of revenue; we still have over 200 people that we can’t bring back because of these measures, and until they can get the hours sorted out,” he said.
Even with limited operation, the Mall had implemented the strict COVID-19 guidelines put in place by the National Task Force. These guidelines were with the aim of protecting staff and customers that visit the Mall.
Beepat said it included a security team, which would be monitoring the entrances to ensure that persons were washing their hands and maintaining social distance. The building was also subjected to routine checks to ensure that customers and staff were complying with the necessary guidelines.
Previously, only the FoodMaxx Supermarket and the pharmacy at the Mall were in operation but this allowed for electronics and telecommunications stores, beauty salons, food and grocery shops, as well as hardware stores to remain functional.