by | Sep 14, 2020 | Newsletter | 7 comments

Ohio updated daily by CovidActNow

Hamilton County updated daily by CovidActNow

Garfield Reopening & Related Covid-19 Developments

[September 14, 2020]  This updates previous content.

The State of Ohio revised the capacity limits for indoor theatres to be the “lesser of 15% of fixed seating capacity or 300 individuals.”  https://coronavirus.ohio.gov/static/responsible/Performing-Arts-Theaters.pdf   Some venues ignore the new rule – check before you go.
The regulation makes no distinction between movie theatres and performance theatres and CWC believes this rule unnecessarily discriminates against true movie houses:
  Performance theatres feature on-stage acting, singing, public speaking, etc., which involve amplified voice projection of droplets and aerosols, thereby increasing risk of exposure.
  Movie theatres do not normally have these risk-increasing activities – patrons wearing masks simply sit in their seats, watching the screen with sound coming from audio speakers rather than individuals.
That said, it may be difficult to craft a viable rule just for cinemas: An obvious safety issue is when movie theatres add live voice projection – holding sing-alongs, in-person panel discussions with/without audience participation, live performances as stand-alones or in conjunction with a film, etc.

The bottom line in terms of reopening the Garfield:  With capacity reduced to 15% and wary patrons, a regular schedule would make it extremely difficult to break even.  Very small private screenings might work on a limited basis – we are carefully testing the concept.

[August 5, 2020]  This updates previous content.

The initial “How” and “When” reopening criteria at the bottom of this thread has not fundamentally changed.

Unfortunately, the perceived level of personal risk in our community is a moving target. At this time, most folks with whom we’ve talked are still not comfortable in indoor movie theatres.

We very much want to reopen, but treading water for a bit longer seems the safest course for CWC staff and patrons.

We regularly check these Covid-19 sites :
https://covidactnow.org/us/oh/

https://ourworldindata.org/coronavirus/country/united-states?country=~USA

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/coronavirus-us-cases.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/16/opinion/us-coronavirus-testing.html

[Updated July 22, 2020.]  This updates the original post below.

The State of Ohio has progressively expanded the mandatory mask requirement from four, to nineteen, and now to all eighty-eight counties. The July 22 STATEWIDE MASK ORDER says that all individuals in Ohio must wear facial coverings in public at all times when at an indoor location that is not a residence.

In the past week, the number of Ohio hospitalizations has increased by 12.6% (1,100) while cases have increased by 4.8% (3,588). The rolling weekly positivity rate in Ohio is now 6.3% of logged test results. Daily updates are available at the Ohio Covid-19 Dashboard and hospitalization metrics are here.    NOTE: There seems to be a consistent lag in updating Ohio data on these sites.

The importance of masks and distancing cited by the State is consistent with the key reopening factors discussed below, back in June.

Currently we are gathering data from CWC constituents regarding conditions necessary for returning to the Garfield Theatre. We’ll share results in the near future.

[June 25 & 27, 2020]

There is no doubt that Covid-19 is changing the world, impacting society in lasting ways. As we move forward, risk management will become a way of life for thinking citizens.  Likewise, dealing with and reducing risk of infection is critically important to CWC as we assess conditions and requirements for reopening the Garfield Theatre.

☀ WHEN will we reopen?  We all miss the communal experience of being together watching great films. But in the short term, we see no overriding urgency to open our doors. The safest course may be a combination of limited in-theatre screenings and continued online streaming of selected films. This is new territory for all of us, caution and flexibility are essential as we proceed.  It makes no sense to rush our reopening only to shut down if the government once again limits social gatherings or closes movie theatres.

Those very shutdowns are happening right now in places that attempted reopening, e.g.: Texas, Florida, Arizona and parts of California. Ohio was tenth highest in new cases since June 21. Record high seven-day case averages were reported June 26 in thirteen states—this is not an isolated one-off situation.

☀ HOW will we reopen?  Our vision of reopening depends on several factors:

(1) Our level of comfort in meeting safety standards and regulations. However, we will not reopen for the sake of serving external political agendas that may imperil public health.

(2) Your level of comfort and trust in coming to the Garfield. Specifically, we will not reopen until we have listened to our audience and understand your needs and concerns. The CWC film family is smart and engaged; you grasp the underlying science of the situation and the invisible threat of asymptomatic spreaders.

(3) What happens in the local community – if there is a sustained spike in infections and hospital admissions, we will adjust our schedule accordingly.

(4) For CWC, reopening means adoption of a continuing program of education for our volunteer staff and our patrons, as conditions change and hopefully improve.

(5) Reopening also means there will be rules – not many, but essential and non-negotiable – mandatory masks for example. We will not risk our health or yours by encouraging irresponsible behavior.

While we hope we can reopen soon, we will wait and see. When the time comes, we will publish a list of steps the Garfield will follow – best practices for reducing risk such as distancing, cleaning, partitions, limiting capacity, etc.

 

[August 6, 2020]
This updates previous content.

The initial “How” and “When” reopening requirements at the bottom of this thread have not fundamentally changed.

Unfortunately, the perceived level of personal risk in our community is a moving target, while some political viewpoints and public behavior remain at odds with scientific information.

At this time, most folks with whom we’ve talked are still not comfortable in confined indoor spaces. We very much want to reopen, but treading water for a bit longer seems the safest course for CWC staff and patrons at this point.

[Updated July 22, 2020.]
This is an addendum to the original post below.

The State of Ohio has progressively expanded the mandatory mask requirement from four, to nineteen, and now to all eighty-eight counties. The July 22 STATEWIDE MASK ORDER says that all individuals in Ohio must wear facial coverings in public at all times when at an indoor location that is not a residence.

In the past week, the number of Ohio hospitalizations has increased by 12.6% (1,100) while cases have increased by 4.8% (3,588). The rolling weekly positivity rate in Ohio is now 6.3% of logged test results. Daily updates are available at the Ohio Covid-19 Dashboard and hospitalization metrics are here.

The importance of masks and distancing cited by the State is consistent with the key reopening factors discussed below, back in June.

Currently we are gathering data from CWC constituents regarding conditions necessary for returning to the Garfield Theatre. We’ll share results in the near future.

[June 25 & 27, 2020]

There is no doubt that Covid-19 is changing the world, impacting society in lasting ways. As we move forward, risk management will become a way of life for thinking citizens.  Likewise, dealing with and reducing risk of infection is critically important to CWC as we assess conditions and requirements for reopening the Garfield Theatre.

☀ WHEN will we reopen?  We all miss the communal experience of being together watching great films. But in the short term, we see no overriding urgency to open our doors. The safest course may be a combination of limited in-theatre screenings and continued online streaming of selected films. This is new territory for all of us, caution and flexibility are essential as we proceed.  It makes no sense to rush our reopening only to shut down if the government once again limits social gatherings or closes movie theatres.

Those very shutdowns are happening right now in places that attempted reopening, e.g.: Texas, Florida, Arizona and parts of California. Ohio was tenth highest in new cases since June 21. Record high seven-day case averages were reported June 26 in thirteen states—this is not an isolated one-off situation.

☀ HOW will we reopen?  Our vision of reopening depends on several factors:

(1) Our level of comfort in meeting safety standards and regulations. However, we will not reopen for the sake of serving external political agendas that may imperil public health.

(2) Your level of comfort and trust in coming to the Garfield. Specifically, we will not reopen until we have listened to our audience and understand your needs and concerns. The CWC film family is smart and engaged; you grasp the underlying science of the situation and the invisible threat of asymptomatic spreaders.

(3) What happens in the local community – if there is a sustained spike in infections and hospital admissions, we will adjust our schedule accordingly.

(4) For CWC, reopening means adoption of a continuing program of education for our volunteer staff and our patrons, as conditions change and hopefully improve.

(5) Reopening also means there will be rules – not many, but essential and non-negotiable – mandatory masks for example. We will not risk our health or yours by encouraging irresponsible behavior.

While we hope we can reopen soon, we will wait and see. When the time comes, we will publish a list of steps the Garfield will follow – best practices for reducing risk such as distancing, cleaning, partitions, limiting capacity, etc.

 

7 Comments

  1. FC

    Thank you. Would rather be cautious than in the hospital. Will be there when you think it is time to open.

  2. Scott

    Hey Tim and Margaret: Sounds like sensible strategy. CWC is an important asset for the downtown urban core. Wishing you all the best.

  3. Betty Palme

    Testing, tracing, mitigation. Before opening, a system for contract tracing every new case must be in place with sufficient staff. More testing is necessary and more people need to follow the rules and regulations that can help mitigate – distancing, masks, self-quarantine.

  4. Linda Huntress

    Thank you Tim and staff. You are obviously keeping up with the important information and handling this with intelligence and concern for the entire community. I appreciate it.

  5. Kathryn Elsnau

    Sounds sensible. No need to rush things.

  6. Susan Tyler

    Hey, Tim, thanks for the update. Appreciate your carefulness and keeping us informed. We were wondering: we do like to support CWW. Have you thought of setting up some kind of regular/monthly donation opportunity like they have for the local NPR station?
    Susan

    • Tim Swallow

      Thanks, Susan. We’re working on a mechanism for support – will probably hit in a month or two.

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