Businessman Derek Chin says cinemas and other entertainment spaces are under pressure with the extended lockdowns and he wants Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley to reopen the sector.
Chin, who described the current situation as “ill-conceived,” said: “We are very much under pressure. Over 3,500 persons are grossly affected.
“We have been closed for a significantly long time, 112 days in 2021 and 194 days in 2020.”
Chin said there is no scientific data or any incidence of COVID-19 cases emanating from a visit to a cinema.
“Unfounded closures because of an ill-conceived notion that cinemas are causes of COVID spread. That has not been the case,” he said.
He added that there is a need for the population to “exhale and start to live life again.”
“Too much negativity and loss of hope. This lack of recreation and relaxation has a negative effect on people and make them more susceptible to a lower resistance.”
He added: “There is plenty domestic and other violence as a result of being locked up. Road rage and people demanding more firearms in anticipation of increased crime. People are facing depression and a sense of giving up.
“That’s why our athletes can’t perform and that’s the danger in our society. Hopeless and fed up. And our Government doesn’t see these effects of their strategies.”
Chin said staff at MovieTowne are almost 100 per cent fully vaccinated and “the auditoriums very safe given our continued strict protocols.”
