The Jalisco government’s green light permitting cinemas and theaters in the state to reopen lasted all of two days.
Unexpectedly, Governor Enrique Alfaro on Wednesday reversed the decision taken last week by the state’s Covid-19 Economic Reactivation Committee to open those venues.
The revised ruling came after the University of Guadalajara (UdG) said it would not be reopening its entertainment venues, due to the fact that the Covid-19 curve had not flattened in Jalisco.
“We are at a critical moment and have to act accordingly. We must follow the route that has made Jalisco a national example in managing the pandemic,” UdG Rector Ricardo Villanueva said last Friday. Opening entertainment venues could be “a mistake that we might regret in the coming weeks,” he said.
The UdG is responsible for a large part of Guadalajara’s cultural contribution. Their venues include the Auditorio Telmex, Teatro Diana, Conjunto de las Artes, Cineforo and Teatro Experimental.
Cinemas had been allowed to reopen their doors Monday, albeit with a reduced capacity of 25 percent. Reports suggest that only a handful of patrons turned up for screenings on the first two days of this week.