After a spike in COVID-19 cases during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, California Governor Gavin Newsom has ordered all movie theaters in the state to close immediately … again, reports Variety. The government mandate follows Newsom’s previous announcement that movie theaters in almost 20 counties, including Los Angeles County, would be closed for three weeks. After seeing the latest data, he decided to double down and closing all movie theaters across the state. Those numbers reveal that, over the past two weeks, California’s hospitalizations have risen by 28% and ICU admissions have increased by 20%. “This virus is not going away anytime soon,” explained Newsom during a news conference on Monday. “I hope all of us recognize that if we are still connected to some notion that somehow whe...
Movie theaters vs churches (photos by Felix Mooneeram and Karl Fredrickson/Unsplash) Satire is dead and reality continues to dance atop its grave. Movie theaters, where folks can check out the latest Adam Sandler film, are now equating their value in society to that of churches, sacred spiritual spaces where people gather to worship. The unusual comparison is being made as reopening guidelines are allowing for churches, but not theaters to resume operations. As of July 6th, AMC, Regal, Cinemark, and other theater giants are suing the state of New Jersey for not being able to open for business due to COVID-19 restrictions. According to the legal complaint led by the National Association of Theatre Owners of New Jersey, their continued closure while churches and malls are allowed to operate ...