Somebody at AMC must’ve been paying attention. After taking heat from all corners for their refusal to require the wearing of masks when theaters reopen on July 15th, AMC has now reversed course. I guess they no longer see the mask-wearing issue as “political”?
AMC will no longer permit guests to enter their 450 theaters opening on July 15th if they refuse to wear protective masks. This policy stands even in states where mask-wearing in public is not a requirement. On top of that, AMC will make masks available for purchase, at the cost of just $1.00, to guests who do not have one.
I was just thinking that AMC was on the verge of becoming the next Chi-Chi’s. Once a popular Tex-Mex joint, they had one outbreak of Hepatitis over some green onions and suddenly all of their restaurants were shut down nationwide. There are now just a handful in other parts of the world, but none in the U.S. If AMC had suffered become a coronavirus hot spot, while making masks optional, their already tenuous financial situation would have been cataclysmic. This is the right move to make at the right time.
Here is the official statement by AMC (via THR):
At AMC, we have been consulting with top scientists and health experts to create a broad, sweeping, far-reaching health and safety effort to make AMC Theatres safe for our guests and associates when our theatres reopen in July. Among many elements of that comprehensive plan was a requirement for our associates all to wear masks nationwide, as well as a requirement for our guests all to wear masks in the many parts of the country that will require it. In those areas of the country where masks will not be required, we nonetheless planned to strongly encourage mask usage by guests, and fully expected that the vast majority would do so. That policy on guest mask usage, which is directly comparable with our major competitors and many other highly regarded retailers, was announced yesterday afternoon.
This announcement prompted an intense and immediate outcry from our customers, and it is clear from this response that we did not go far enough on the usage of masks. At AMC Theatres, we think it is absolutely crucial that we listen to our guests. Accordingly, and with the full support of our scientific advisors, we are reversing course and are changing our guest mask policy. As we reopen theatres, we now will require that all AMC guests nationwide wear masks as they enter and enjoy movies at our theatres. The speed with which AMC moved to revise our mask policies is a reflection of our commitment to the safety and health of our guests.
We will constantly monitor the scientific community’s latest thinking as to the efficacy of mask usage. We also will be looking at the varying health conditions in specific localities around our theatres all across the country. This will help us to determine what our mask policy will be as we go forward, as well as to make any other needed changes to this policy.
Guests coming to our theatres may bring their own masks of course, but for those who do not have one, masks will be available at our theatre box offices at a nominal $1.00 price. Those who are unwilling to wear a mask will not be admitted or allowed to stay.
