The COVID-19 situation in Taiwan has been improving, allowing the government to gradually relax restrictions that it had imposed to stop the virus from spreading. One result of this was the surprisingly strong resurgence of travel and consumption over the Dragon Boat Festival long weekend. Freeways were choked by traffic jams, and scenic spots all over Taiwan were crowded with tourists.
Hotels, restaurants, snack bars and night markets did brisk business, easing their financial difficulties and offering a glimpse of the light at the end of the tunnel.
However, the outlook is still dark and gloomy for movie theaters. They have been deserted since the Lunar New Year, causing their owners to groan in anguish. They even asked the government to order them to halt operations, cutting off their means of subsistence to make them eligible for relief subsidies.
As an avid cinemagoer, it is sad to see them shuttered.
Movie theaters have had a dire time for the four months or so since COVID-19 broke out, with hardly anyone going to cinemas to watch films. It is not uncommon to be alone in a theater, as if it were a private showing. Even on weekends and holidays, it is common for there to be fewer than 10 people watching a film.
Movie theaters are having a really hard time. When they shut up shop, affecting upstream businesses in the film industry, it puts many cinema service staff out of a job.
However, up until now, the government’s relief measures have been mostly focused on the aviation, travel and tourism sectors, while overlooking this popular form of entertainment.
Although the pandemic is easing slightly, the number of people visiting movie theaters has sadly not rebounded as seen in the travel and catering sectors.
Maybe the experience of being stuck at home for three or four months has made people more accustomed to watching videos via the various platforms on their mobile phones.
At the moment, movie theaters are safer than restaurants, coffee shops, night markets and snack bars. There is usually no need to space people out, as there are often fewer than 10 people watching a film in a theater that can seat 100 or more.
However, they are public spaces, and there is not much you can do if people do not want to go in.
The government should bear in mind that films are an art form. Movie theaters are not noisy venues such as dance halls, cabarets and karaoke parlors. Like stage theaters and concert halls, they offer cultural entertainment that is food for body and soul.
All these venues belong to the field of culture, so the government should prioritize offering them economic relief to help them get through this tight spot. When things become somewhat better, the government should think of ways to help them return to their former prosperity, because if they are forced into bankruptcy, it would be difficulty for them to ever get back on their feet.
Wang Hsi-chang is a writer.
Translated by Julian Clegg
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