Drive-in cinema opens doors amid virus closures

As conventional cinemas in Germany are currently closed as a safety measure against the spread of the coronavirus, drive-in cinemas offer an alternative.

Hundreds of people sit in their cars watching a movie trailer at a drive-in cinema, as all other theaters in Germany are closed due to the coronavirus in Essen, Germany, on Monday, March 30, 2020.
AP

Hundreds of people sit in their cars watching a movie trailer at a drive-in cinema, as all other theaters in Germany are closed due to the coronavirus in Essen, Germany, on Monday, March 30, 2020.

Residents of the German city of Essen flocked to their local drive-in cinema on Monday, reigniting a pastime of the old world fit for the Covid-19 era.

Tickets were only available online, and a maximum of two people were permitted per car, excluding children, in line with Germany's far-reaching quarantine restrictions.

Conventional cinemas in the country are currently closed.

"It's the only thing you can do these days," said Essen local Andreas Hausner, adding that the drive-in cinema was seeing a "renaissance."

Germany has reported over 66,800 Covid-19 cases and 645 deaths.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks.

For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and could lead to death.

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