Fresno County movie theaters, arcades must wait until June 26 to reopen

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Family entertainment centers will have to remain closed a little longer, just days after several more businesses were given the green light to reopen.

The list includes arcades and movie theaters.

"We're going to ask our family entertainment centers to wait in opening until June 26th," says Dr. Rais Vohra with the Fresno County health department.

Health officials say the announcement comes due to the recent increase in COVID-19 case counts.

"That will dampen the impact of this reopening, will allow the county to work closely with these entertainment centers," says Vohra.

For movie theatres like Maya Cinemas in Fresno, that two-week delay will just mean more time to prepare.

"From today to June 26, it's going to be training, we have webinars training. At the end of the day we're taking care of our employees," says Maya Cinemas CEO Francisco Schlotterbeck.

When it comes to show time, Schlotterbeck says there will be a lot of temporary changes.

Concessions will have Plexiglass and there won't be self-serve stations.

The auditoriums will only be filled to 25% of their capacity and tickets will need to be purchased online or through an app.

What you pay to watch, however, may look familiar, as they'll be showing older movies due to limited content.

Schlotterbeck says employees will also wear gloves and masks and they plan to reopen July 1st to ensure all the proper protocols are in place before welcoming back customers.