Enderby's Starlight Drive-In assessing season under restrictions

Photo: Facebook

Enderby's Starlight Drive-In is assessing the viability of its season now that it must limit admissions to just 50 vehicles.

On Monday, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry confirmed that drive-in theatres are not exempt from her order limiting gathering sizes, even though patrons are inside their own cars.

As well, such businesses must not operate concessions.

"In order to fully comply with all government regulations, we are now limiting ticket sales to 50 cars per show," the Starlight posted on its Facebook page. "With no concession, you will need to bring your own snacks and refreshments. You will be required to spend the evening in your vehicle, except to use the restrooms."

The Starlight had sought clarification over the weekend after Dr. Henry's directive on Friday. It had previously been allowing 100 vehicles on site under distancing protocols brought in this season.

“Yes, we have a less risky environment when we have people in cars, yes you can have more than one person in a car, but that becomes a very challenging situation when you have large numbers of vehicles,” Henry said. “To be able to monitor and ensure that you don’t have those multiple numbers of connections, becomes much more challenging.”

Henry wouldn't speculate on when the rules may be loosened.

"As always, we remain committed to the health and safety of our community," Starlight management said.

"In the coming week, our team will be will be reviewing our operations, and how these changes impact the feasibility of our summer drive-in season. We will post another update once we have made longer-term decisions."