Several media reports claiming that cinema halls will re-open across the country from 1 October has gone viral on social media platforms. The report states that the Home Ministry has ordered the reopening of cinema halls across the country with the strict imposition of Covid-19 guidelines

The claim is also being widely shared on Facebook and Twitter. 

Fact Check

This news, however, is fake and misleading.

A Press Information Bureau (PIB) fact check has, however, debunked the reports and confirmed that no such decision has been taken. 

The tweet reads, ”Claim: A Media report has claimed that the Home Ministry has ordered reopening of cinema halls across the country from 1st October with the imposition of strict regulations.#PIBFactCheck: This claim is #Fake. No decision has been taken by @HMOIndia on reopening the cinema halls yet.”

According to Unlock 4 guidelines issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs, cinema halls, entertainment parks, and similar places will continue to remain closed. While open-air theatres will resume operations from September 21.

The theatre owners across northern and southern India have urged the government to allow them to reopen cinemas at least by the Dussehra weekend in October.  The Multiplex Association of India appealed to the government of India for the reopening of cinemas on September 15. “If Aviation, Metro, Malls, Wellness, and Restaurants can be allowed to operate, the Cinema Industry too deserves a chance,” tweeted the Multiplex Association of India on August 30.  It had further said: “The Cinema Industry is an inherent part of the country’s culture, but also an integral part of the economy, supporting millions of livelihoods #SupportMovieTheatres”. Following the coronavirus outbreak and ensuing lockdown, cinema halls across the country have been shut since March.

However, this claim has turned out to be fake as the Home Ministry has not taken any decision in this regard as yet.

In conclusion, the viral claim is false that the Ministry of Home Affairs has ordered the reopening of theatres from October 1 with strict regulations in place. We found that the government has not issued any guidelines on the reopening of cinema halls and the message is fake.