Entertainment sector slowly unfurls some feathers as level 3 eases

Workers  in the hospitality, entertainment and air travel industries are preparing for a “new normal” under eased lockdown level 3 restrictions.

Restaurants will be allowed to serve customers for sit-in meals and some accommodation establishments will be allowed to receive guests. Cinemas and theatres will be open for business and travellers will be able to embark on domestic flights.

Restaurants

In BCM, restaurant owners were optimistic about the reopening of eateries but expressed concern over the growing Covid-19 numbers. 

Julia Chemaly, owner of popular East London restaurant Jules on Jarvis, said they were waiting for “the-go-ahead” to open their doors for sit-down meals “but in the meantime preparations are being made to make sure we adhere to Covid-19 health regulations”. 

Chemaly said the restaurant would introduce a new “back yard” outdoor area for patrons to eat their meals.

“People will still be nervous to come out, especially because the number of Covid-19 infections is rising. We hope the new feature of the outdoor area will bring some ease to our customers because of the access to open air.

“Our trading hours will be until 7pm and we don't think we will be serving alcohol. We've had to adjust our menu during the lockdown, especially for the delivery option. It has been quite the learning curve but we're grateful that we've been able to operate,” said Chemaly.

Social distancing would be well maintained on the premises with “clearly demarcated” signs, she added.

Caitlin Mostert, owner of Country Bumpkin, said a recyclable menu would be distributed to patrons to avoid cross-contamination.

“Hopefully we can open our doors before the end of the month. We have a strict health policy in the restaurant that all staff adhere to. We have reduced and reprinted our menu to make sure that each person has their own.” 

“We're lucky to have a spacious outdoor area so social distancing will be easily done. We're also happy that people can come out again but in the same breath, we understand people will be cautious and so things may take a while to get back to 'normal'," said Mostert.

Air travel

In the Eastern Cape, a statement from Eastern Cape premier Oscar Mabuyane's office on Monday said all provincial airports would remain closed as they were not Covid-19 compliant.

“The provincial government is working with national department of transport and the Airports Company of SA to have all the airports in the province open for business,” the statement read.

South African airline FlySafair issued a Covid-19 flight “pledge” on their website which said their planes would be “deep-cleaned every evening with an aircraft-grade, antibacterial and antiviral cleaning solution which is confirmed to be effective in combating Covid-19”.

The airline said it would implement “stringent” safety measures that would include disinfection of the aircraft between flights, mandatory wearing of masks for staff and customers, a strict “no-touch” policy on board, temperature checks and sanitising of hands.  

Flysafair said social distancing on the aircraft would be maintained.

“As a policy, we will fill window and aisle seats before allocating passengers to the middle seat, but passengers booking on our website can also select our new “Blocked Seat” option to keep the middle seat on your row open,” the website reads.

Cinemas

Several attempts to contact Movies@Hemingways in Hemingways Casino for comment on the reopening of their cinema were unsuccessful on Monday.

The movie franchise, which is an entity of Tsogo Sun, is the only cinema serving the eastern half of the Eastern Cape.

But according to Business Insider SA, both Ster-Kinekor and Nu Metro have promised social distancing in their foyer spaces as well as in the screening rooms themselves, and a push towards more online ticket sales.

Both have also promised stringent hygiene measures, with Nu Metro saying it plans to disinfect some surfaces, such as door handles and ticket counters, every 30 minutes, according to the publication.

As part of the advanced alert level 3 of the lockdown, casinos will be able reopen.

Chris du Toit, CEO of Tsogo Sun Gaming, said: "We are delighted to finally be able to reopen our casinos to our valued guests. We hope they are as excited as we are to entertain again.” 

He said guests would be screened on arrival and that social distancing would be maintained.