WOODLAND, Calif. — Movies are back in Woodland at the State Theatre & Multiplex. It is best to get your ticket ahead of time because seats are filling up fast.
Movie theaters in Yolo County could now hold screenings with modifications after the area moved into the "red tier" of the state's coronavirus reopening plan.
Jorge Tapia, the Woodland State Theatre & Multiplex general manager, says reopening comes with stipulations. Every guest is required to wear a mask. Team members have to go through health screening. Each auditorium can only have a capacity limit of 25%, which isn't always 100% profitable but bringing employees back certainly is.
"At the moment, we are only able to bring back a certain amount of employees, not all of them," Tapia said. "We are hoping since we are busier than we were expecting, we were only expecting maybe 100 people a day as you can tell it's been a lot busier, which is a good sign, so we are hoping to them back soon."
Ray Spracklen drove all the way from Winters to watch his favorite classic Tom and Jerry on the big screen.
"I've had my virus shots both of them, and I'm supposed to be protected pretty good, but I'm still going to make sure I wear a mask and keep my distance," Ray Spracklen said.
Ray has not been to the movies in a year and was becoming stir crazy staying at home and was ready to venture out for the first time.
"My wife didn't want to come out because she didn't trust," Spracklen said. "And I said you got to trust something sometime."
Ruben Zacapa Owns a Mexican Restaurant right down the street from the theater and says the movie complex is a huge source of income for downtown Woodland, and the reopening is crucial for the survival of the area.
"I did have a concern if we were going to make it through this, but right now, we are getting out of it we will be okay," Zacapa said.
