Stadium Seating Auditorium

Remember the feeling of going out to watch a movie?

Although cinemas have implemented agreements to protect guests and staff during the COVID-19 pandemic, and many measures have been praised by experts, the exhibition industry is still

. Since mid-March, indoor theaters in Los Angeles County have closed, and Governor Gavin Newsom cancelled

In other states last week,

, Including most movie theaters. Even if these restrictions are lifted, the industry will still be eager to reopen safely.

In many other states, the question remains: With the total number of infections nationwide exceeding 12 million, more than 255,000 Americans dying, and the number of people each day surging to the highest level in history, what is the risk of watching a movie indoors?

The exhibition industry’s argument for keeping theaters open relies on confidence in the COVID-19 protocol formulated by the theater-including mask regulations, enhanced cleaning effects, automatic seat spacing between parties, limited auditorium capacity, staggered screening times, and other measures. They said there has been no outbreak that can be traced back to movie attendance.

"This is not only in the United States, but anywhere in the world," said Patrick Corcoran, vice president and chief communications officer of the American National Association. Introduction of the theater owner,

The theater can choose to join the show. "Some people have worked in a movie theater, or have been to a movie theater, but none of them passed any tracking to other people in that environment."

Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease expert at the University of California, San Francisco, said: “The guide book looks great on paper.” “If you have a well-ventilated movie theater and people wear masks all the time, and they are isolated from society, and Do not go to the movies when you are sick...that may be relatively speaking. A safe environment."

However, he pointed out that these agreements can easily be defeated by the actions of others. "You can have a lot of suggestions, but in the final analysis, this is indeed human behavior."

He added that although Jin Hong agreed that “to date, there are no documented COVID cases related to movie attendance in the world, but no connection does not mean that there is no spread.”

Can you have Thanksgiving during the COVID-19 pandemic? The researchers created an interactive map that can estimate the risks you face in any county.

To help unfold this debate, The Times spoke with two industry speakers-Corcoran and Chanda Brashears, Vice President of Investor Relations and Public Relations, Cinema Theater; and Three A public health expert-Chin-Hong, Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association. Dr. Annabel de Saint Morris of the University of California, Los Angeles.

Experts praised the many safety measures in the industry before entering the auditorium. They agree that once inside, the danger will increase, mainly due to the choices made by customers.

Everyone interviewed for this article agrees

Is the key. Movie security

However, “if approved by state or local health authorities, facial covering can be removed for a limited purpose and for a limited period of time for the consumption of food and beverages.”

Benjamin, an expert in internal medicine and the former Secretary of Health of Maryland, said: "Just like in a restaurant, you have to take off your mask and eat popcorn or drink a drink. Of course, when you do, if you get infected, you will clear the virus. He specifically pointed out if you laugh or scream while watching a movie.

De St. Maurice, a doctor who specializes in pediatrics and infectious diseases, and the headscarf infection prevention officer at UCLA Health, agreed: "How often do they wear masks? The movie makes you laugh and shout."

Health experts are concerned about this. Even appropriate social distance may not be enough to protect people who are not wearing masks for a long time (for example, two hours on average). Benjamin cites CDC’s "

For infected individuals, even asymptomatic individuals: "15 minutes or more within six feet." In this case, the CDC recommends that those exposed "stay after the last exposure." At home until 14 days", enter the isolation agreement.

"The activities in a cinema are very different from your activities in a bar or restaurant," Corcoran points out. "You don't have anyone face-to-face." He added that attendance time helps reduce risks, rather than in restaurants or bars, "people finish their meal, then get up and leave, [be replaced by more people."

Brashears said that Cinemark has added staff and the only job is to ensure that staff and customers follow the COVID-19 rules.

However, De St. Maurice pointed out that law enforcement may be a problem: “You may be frustrated. Many of these employees are teenagers and may be dissatisfied with correcting adults. You want to keep the theater open and want to Satisfy customers."

Infectious disease experts at the University of California, San Francisco say that masks will not reduce the oxygen content in the blood or increase the carbon dioxide content.

Social distancing is

Keep six feet away from people who are not in your home. The theater tried to implement this by reducing the number of crowds by wrong opening time, reducing the number of options at concession booths, etc.

with

Some of these companies have established a ticket purchase system that automatically inserts a single-seater buffer on either side of one party, thereby separating a total of two seats from each other. However, if the seats in most movie theaters are about two feet wide, then that can only be a four-foot buffer zone.

Brashears said that most of Cinemark’s seats are wider than normal “recliner” and “rocking chairs”, so two adjacent seats will meet the 6-foot standard.

Some auditoriums are arranged in

Configuration in which the row rises as you advance backward.

"I think another challenge is stadium seating," St. Morris said. "You are coughing and there are droplets. Where are they going to land? Below you."

Corcoran pointed out that the distance between the starting point of the stadium seat and the head is large, partly because of the tilt: "The distance may be sufficient."

Chain promotes its ventilation system, including

It is installed in the auditorium. However, there is no data on the air exchange rate (the number of times a ventilation system can replace indoor air with fresh outdoor air per hour), which experts say is important.

"It sounds like they have installed some MERV 13 filters in some areas, but I don't think it will improve your air exchange. And these filters are really expensive," De St. Maurice said, wondering if they are in In each auditorium. "Optimizing the air exchange will help. Open the door so you can get some outdoor air.

"If you think about it, if a person is sick and the air keeps circulating, then you will be in trouble. She said in Guangzhou that a Chinese restaurant is in Guangzhou, where the air is circulating, and [water droplets] spread six feet Above, because the air basically keeps flowing in this cycle. "As a result, people who were sitting in the circle but probably more than six feet away from the index box were infected. "

Brashears said: "In Cinemark theaters, the air flows directly downwards and then exhausts through the side vents. We are introducing a consistent external air flow because we recognize this is important." She also pointed out that Cinemark's focus is "use MERV filter eliminates pollutants and integrates

. "

Experts unanimously praised exhibitors’ masked employees, limited production capacity, staggered screening times, cashless transactions, removal of shared condiments and reduced menus.

"It has nothing to do with the menu," De St. Maurice explained. "In theory, this is to reduce the number of people in line to decide what to get. Posting a notice saying: "Don't wait in line" is not as effective as organizing things so that people are less willing to wait in line or really don't have to queue."

Benjamin added that off-peak hours may also be safer. "Obviously, if they really clean up at night, it might be better to get up in the morning. You might get better when there are fewer people in the theater."

All three health experts said that extra care should be taken when the positive rate of infection is high, because

Public activities will be more dangerous.

De Saint Maurice said: "In order to reduce the lives of these luxury goods in our lives, and to enable people who work in these industries to work again, all the measures we take to reduce the spread within the community are really important."

The best movie theater scenes would include not selling any concessions, establishing a flexible schedule for workers, and establishing a "good sick leave policy," De St. Maurice said, "This way they can stay at home when they feel unwell, and Not being motivated to work. It."

Although experts are optimistic about many of the steps taken, they are negative about other steps, such as taking into account the customer's body temperature, strengthening cleaning and wearing gloves. Benjamin pointed out that gloves can transmit pollutants like bare skin, and if used improperly, they can create a false sense of security. He also cited some studies showing

(Infection through contact surface) should be low.

Qin Hong said: "People need to be flexible because the situation may change. Science is as good as people stick to what is happening. Just like in the playground, you can get guidance, but if you have a screaming The child is running around, you...always cannot control this environment. I think the unknown is the most likely cause of anxiety about all this."

For perspective, The Times asked experts to rate the safety of certain activities from 0 to 100. Among them, 0 is the least likely to cause COVID-19 infection, and 100 is the most dangerous. Among the listed activities, they respectively considered watching movies indoors as one of the most adventurous activities. Benjamin refused to provide ratings, but would include going to the cinema to the indoor restaurant.

At the time of writing, the CDC lists movie players

.

Maybe you are older or have medical [problems]; you may think that juice is not worth juicing.

UCSF infectious disease expert Dr. Peter Chin-Hong

However, one solution that seems to solve the concerns of most experts is the "Private Observer Party." In this case, up to 20 customers can spend between US$99 and US$149 (at Cinemark) to buy the theater to watch the show, thus eliminating strangers in the auditorium. Brashears said the chain has sold more than 50,000 events.

"In the final analysis, everything depends on consumers. Consumers must play a role in our safe operations." She said.

Corcoran recommends that customers visit the website of the theater they want to attend to learn about the specific protocol they use.

Chin-Hong said: "Active rather than passive may be the best summary, but it depends not only on where you are, but also on who you are and how to determine the risk. Maybe you are older or have medical [problems]; You might think it’s not worth juicing."

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Michael Ordoña made films and TV for the Los Angeles Times.

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Tommy Lasorda is not dead. They just turned down the volume. Now, the sports world will become quieter and the entertainment will be greatly reduced.

Lasorda was the capital B that was bombed. His voice is as soft as a megaphone, as subtle as a slap in the face. He is Vesuvius in the Dodge Blue Volcano.

Lasorda really kicked. For us in the newspaper industry, he is the ultimate baseball figure, a minute of laughter. During Lasorda's management, Dodger defeated writers who should pay for privilege, not for salary. He often yelled at sports writers to learn about their various criminal behaviors stained with ink, and then gave them a wink and a smile at the end of the novel. He likes sports writers and almost likes him yelling at them. He never underestimated their value.

He was the manager of the Sydney U.S. Olympic team in 2000. American baseball has never been good because the Olympic Games are held in the summer and the good players are in the major leagues. But LaSorda, who retired from managing the Dodgers a few years ago, was boring and was looking for another challenge. Therefore, he signed to manage a series of obscure prospects and minor league cast detractors. This made me very happy. One day, before the game started, I went to the stadium to look for Lasorda and some good offers. No one is nearby. The U.S. team’s canoe is empty. The canoe is a restricted zone in the press, but I want to know where everyone is, but I walked along the tunnel to the clubhouse, even more.

Then, I heard the sound, it was a sound with a bomb rhythm. I have been walking, and my voice is getting louder and louder. Now I tell this group that most of them are baseball scrubs. They are one of the best teams he has ever managed. There are a lot of talents in that room. right now! Remember, he has managed two world championship teams.

He yelled: "I want to make a prediction here." "Two of you pitchers, maybe three, will win the Cy Young Award!"

I was very interested, so I kept going, sneaking into the back of the room, hoping not to show up. But LaSorda saw me. In the fog, he might find sports writers 1,000 yards away. He stopped, thinking whether to scream or kick me out or take advantage of the moment. He chose the latter and raised the volume when gathering troops. He knew I would write this. I did it, and the tone suggested that this inspirational speech was absurd. Two weeks later, under the leadership of manager Tommy Lasorda, the U.S. men’s Olympic baseball team participated in the game as they believed to be the Yankees in 1927 and won the gold medal.

Many years later, I decided to write a column about Bruce Froemming, a long-term national league referee. In the seats behind the home plate at Dodger Stadium, we met the Dodgers a few hours before the game. When I am now a Dodge executive LaSorda wandering around, there are two questions in my interview. He made two decisions, figured out the situation, and then started yelling at Froemming that some Froemming abandoned his long-term game. Froemming yelled that he should be deported earlier or more frequently. They left.

By the time they re-expressed their views aloud, the bounce and dirt of their career hit the home plate, and about 50 people gathered together. Lasorda yelled, Froemming yelled. They are performing now. The insult was filled with giggles and winks. I never asked another question. No need.

Around the same time, I went to South Bend, Indiana, to report on the football game at Notre Dame University in Tennessee. The night before, a party was held at the home of the Irish Sports Director. I went, and the first person I met was LaSorda. He said that the next day he will go to Notre Dame de Paris for pre-match inspiration. A few minutes later, he wandered around and asked if I had a car. This is one of the events where you wander around and eat finger food. LaSorda did not make finger food.

Look at the life of legendary Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda, who died on Thursday at the age of 93.

He said: "Let's go." We went to a city where 80,000 football fans were also having dinner. I asked him if he had reservations, and he said, "We are going to pick up Digger on the road." That is Digger Phelps, Irish basketball coach, Blarney technique and Lasorda )similar.

We picked up Digger and drove to a restaurant called Parisi's. Of course, this place is full of people. I asked LaSorda again if he had reservations. He said: "We don't need to make a reservation here." We were taken to one of the best tables in the house, Lasorda returned the soup twice as usual because it was not hot enough, and then he and Digger tried to tell stories to each other. Soon, it was almost midnight, and the place was almost empty. I told Lasorda that we should pay the bill and let the help go home.

"We are not paying here," LaSorda said.

I found the waiter on the road and handed him some 20 dollar bills.

Before I sent him to his hotel, I asked Lasorda the next day about the lecture of the Notre Dame team. "They will win," he said. "When I speak before the game, the team always wins."

The next day, Tennessee defeated Notre Dame de Paris. That Monday, I called LaSorda and asked if the Irishman might get lost after speaking.

He said: "They took the lead at halftime, but then I had to leave to catch a plane."

The legendary Dodgers manager and baseball ambassador Tom Lasorda (Tom Lasorda) died of a heart attack on Thursday at the age of 93. He is always joking, always fast, here are some.

One day, I was sitting in the Dodgers press room with a friend Father Billy McKinney. A few years ago, he worked for me in the sports department of the "Milwaukee Daily" and then entered the priesthood. He is one of two "Wall Street Journal" sports writers serving as priests, which may reflect my management skills. LaSorda lingered. I introduced them. McKinney has become the highest priest of the Indian Reservation in South Dakota, and he told him that he was seeing some potential donors in the city.

"That's it." LaSorda yelled. "How much do you need? Dwyer, I will propose. We will come out there, talk, sell tickets, raise funds. Just say when. Dwyer will arrange it."

Oh my God. Trip to South Dakota.

Six months later, McKinney died of a heart attack, but LaSorda asked us to move on. We flew to Rapid City. A priest and two nuns picked us up and drove us for a few hours to the monastery, where they were converted into houses for the priest and nuns. Lasorda called his wife Jo, told her that he was sleeping in the monastery, and then sat around the table with six priests, becoming Tommy Lasorda. I forgive myself and go to bed. The last sentence I heard from LaSorda was: "So, I tell Ronnie, Ronnie Reagan, your damn army needs more money..."

The next day, we will return to Rapid City and stop at several reserved schools, where hundreds of children flock to Lasorda, and he will tell them the story of Dodge Blue. He stayed for a few hours. He is a rock star.

In the late afternoon, the pastor and two nuns drove us back to Rapid City, and LaSorda spoke in the auditorium of Rapid City. I picked up a local newspaper at the hotel, and the front page headline announced LaSorda's speech. Later, the pastor and two nuns picked us up and took us to the auditorium. The picture of LaSorda hung from the wall. He gave a speech and told the story of Dodger Blue, which I had heard dozens of times, but it attracted the audience in the crowded auditorium. He raised thousands of dollars for the reservation.

Lasorda suggested wearing a nightcap, but I begged to get off the car and walk back to the hotel. When Lasorda and the two nuns walked towards an area with a few places that looked like bars and strip joints, I looked back at the street. The next morning, the pastor and two nuns picked us up and drove us to the airport. In those days, people could take you all the way to the gate, and they did. Goodbye.

When we were sitting on the plane, I asked LaSorda to assure me that he did not take the nuns to one of the places last night.

"Damn it," he growled undeniably. "Everyone needs to play once in a while."

Therefore, it seems fair to summarize here. Despite Tommy Lasorda's awkward mouth, he may still be in heaven now-the big place, not just the Dodge Blue Satellite-partly because several nuns are there praying for him.

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Bill Dwyre was a three-time sports columnist for the Los Angeles Times in 2006-15. Prior to this, he had been the sports editor of the paper for 25 years. In 1985, Dwyre was named the National Editor of the Year by the National Press Foundation for his coverage of the 84th Olympic Games, and was awarded the United States for his outstanding achievements in sports news. The Associated Press Sports Editor (1996) awarded the Red Smith Award. From 1973 to 1981, he joined the "Times" as the sports editor of the "Milwaukee Daily". Dwyre was named the winner of the National Headline Award in 1985, was awarded the Sports Writer of the Year in Wisconsin in 1980, and the Sports Writer of the Year in California in 2009.

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