Nearly 5,000 part-time employees at Cineplex have been temporarily laid off because of new COVID restrictions imposed by the Ontario government.
Galaxy Cinemas in the North Bay Mall is owned by Cineplex. A call to the local theatre by BayToday to see how many local workers are involved was not immediately returned.
Spokeswoman Sarah Van Lange says Canada’s largest movie chain will get its employees back to work “once and for all” as soon as the restrictions are lifted.
A total of 67 Cineplex theatres in Ontario are affected by today's action.
The temporary closures of cinemas in Ontario are expected to last until Jan. 28.
Before today, the North Bay site was requiring customers 12 years of age and older to be fully vaccinated and to provide their proof of vaccination along with government ID.
"As of January 4, proof of vaccination must come in the form of an Enhanced Vaccine Certificate with QR code, which can be accessed at Covid-19.ontario.ca/proof-covid-19-vaccination," says the website.
New COVID-19 public health measures announced by Ontario Premier Doug Ford on Monday resulted in the closure of indoor concert venues, museums, galleries and other attractions.
With files from Canadian Press.
