China Orders New Cinema Closures Amid Rise in COVID-19 Cases Rebecca Davis, provided by FacebookTwitterEmail China has shuttered a portion of cinemas in top movie-going province Guangdong after what reports said may be the country’s first community outbreak of the Indian COVID-19 variant. Reports did not state exactly how many cinemas have been affected. The theater closures come days after U.S. cinema chains, including AMC, Regal and Cinemark announced they would no longer require fully vaccinated guests to wear face masks. China’s preventative measures come in response to 50 new cases logged nationwide over Sunday and Monday. In comparison, more than 5,600 new COVID-19 cases emerged in the U.S. on Monday alone.