AMC, Regal, Cinemark Drop Mask Requirements, But Faces Stay Covered In California Theaters
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — The nation's biggest movie theater chains say they will no longer require moviegoers to wear face masks if they are fully vaccinated, but masks remain in place in Los Angeles, the nation's biggest movie market.
AMC Entertainment, Cinemark and Regal Cinemas say they will no longer require guests to wear face masks when watching a movie, after the CDC updated its guidelines to say that fully vaccinated people may safely go without masks both indoors and outdoors. The move follows in the footsteps of national chains like Target, Costco, and Trader Joe's.
However, California – home to Hollywood and the biggest movie theater market in the country – is being more conservative with its mask mandate. California public health officials have said the mask mandate will remain in place until June 15, when the state plans to fully reopen its economy and do away with the color-coded tiers of reopening.
Los Angeles was the epicenter of the country's devastating winter surge. But since then, the state now among the lowest COVID numbers in the nation, and Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday said that 70% of the state's adult population has received at least one dose of the vaccine.