UK Cinema Association Publishes Report on Staff and Customer Safety Guidelines

The UK Cinema Association (UKCA) released two reports Thursday detailing procedures, guidelines, and recommendations for reopening.

The first documents deals with indoor cinemas, while the second handles drive-in and outdoor cinemas. Each report contains eight sections, titled:

1. Thinking about risk
2. Who should go to work
3. Social distancing at work
4. Keeping your customers, visitors, and contractors safe
5. Cleaning the workplace
6. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and face coverings
7. Workforce management
8. Inbound and outbound goods

Among the recommendations include:

• Assisting the country’s public health care system, the National Health Service (NHS). “The opening up of the economy following the COVID-19 outbreak is being supported by NHS Test and Trace. You should assist this service by keeping a temporary record of your staff shift patterns, customers and visitors for 21 days, in a way that is manageable for your business.”
• Don’t necessarily bring back all your employees in person. “Considering who is essential to be on the premises. It is recognised that the overwhelming majority of staff working at cinemas undertake roles which cannot be reasonably performed from home. However, there may be some – those undertaking film programming or finance for example – for whom this is possible.”
• Don’t solely consider physical health. “Provide support for workers around mental health and wellbeing. This could include advice or telephone support.”
• Don’t have everyone arrive at the same time, for example at 9 A.M. “Staggering arrival and departure times at work to reduce crowding into and out of the workplace, taking account of the impact on those with protected characteristics. It may also prevent workers from needing to use public transport at peak times. Providing additional parking or facilities such as bike-racks to help people walk, run, or cycle to work where possible.”

“Today’s launch represents an important next step in our efforts to once again bring the big screen experience to the cinema-going public,” UK Cinema Association Chief Executive Phil Clapp said in a press release. “We know from recent surveys that a large proportion of our audience can’t wait to come back, but they understandably want to know the steps that cinemas will be taking to ensure their continued welfare.”

The UKCA represents more than 90 percent of the country’s cinema operators.