In view of the spread of the novel coronavirus, all cinema halls in West Bengal will remain closed till March 31, the Eastern India Motion Pictures Association (EIMPA) announced on Tuesday.
“We have decided that all cinema halls will remain shut till March 31 and the decision will come into effect immediately,” EIMPA said.
The official said though the industry will suffer huge losses, the priority now was to take all measures to combat the lethal disease.
“There will be huge losses if cinema halls are closed for such a long period, considering the present situation of the Bengal film industry. We will use the time till March 31 to find out ways to recover the losses,” it said.
Almost every state in India has announced the closure of cinema halls amid the deadly novel coronavirus.
Earlier, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had stressed on closing down all cinema halls for the time being to tackle the COVID-19 threat.
As of now, India recorded 126 positive cases with 3 deaths reported due to the novel coronavirus.