Would You Go to the Cinema Right Now?
Time, space, people, place. As businesses open and things start happening again, I keep thinking about these factors. Spending a lot of time in a confined space with many other people is not where I want to be on the COVID-19 risk spectrum . And for me this means that there will be no cinemas for a long time.
But some theaters are opening. The same is true with many other things that are quite high on the spectrum of risk: some churches are starting to hold personal services again. The President held a rally. In many areas, restaurants are open for indoor dining.
Personally, as a buyer, I am not interested in all this. But I am also worried about the workers in these places because they are contaminated with all of our microbes. As a shopper, you may decide that you will eat somewhere as a treat from time to time. As a server, you cannot decide that you will work from time to time.
Therefore, when we see more opportunities to get out of the house, we must carefully weigh these risks, because other people – companies, governments – do not necessarily act in our best interests. The fact that something is open does not mean that it is safe .
The Washington Post reports that cinemas are trying to be careful because they fear people won’t feel comfortable at all if they are constantly reminded of how risky a movie theater can be. Well, maybe it should be so.
Personally, I try to avoid situations with:
- crowds
- people without masks
- sing or shout
- internal meetings
- long periods of time next to others
I’ll go shopping. Someday I might think of a short trip to the gym during off-peak hours for some socially distanced squats. I’m not getting on a plane anytime soon, and I’m definitely not going to sit in a movie theater for two hours. And you?