Face coverings to be mandatory in cinemas from August 8, Boris Johnson confirms

Cinema safety: Face coverings will now be mandatory in cinemas
Getty Images
Harry Fletcher31 July 2020

Boris Johnson has confirmed that face coverings will now be mandatory for guests in cinemas from next weekend.

The Prime Minister announced the news in a Downing Street briefing, also stating that coverings will be compulsory in museums, galleries and places of worship from August 8.

Groups had previously called for guests to wear face coverings, with the Cineworld Action Group launching a petition to make them compulsory back in June. However, cinemas initially opened with no masks required.

Mr Johnson said: "We will also extend the requirement to wear a face covering to other indoor settings where you are likely to come into contact with people you do not normally meet, such as museums, galleries, cinemas and places of worship.

"We now recommend face coverings are worn in these settings, and this will become enforceable in law from August 8."

Cinemas were given the green light to reopen from July 4, although many delayed opening due to major new releases like Tenet and Mulan being moved back to later in the year.

The Prime Minister's Downing Street briefing also detailed the latest relaxation of the coronavirus lockdown regulations.

The easing included allowing small wedding receptions of up to 30 people and the reopening of bowling alleys and casinos.

More to follow.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in

MORE ABOUT