The Tribune

* Miller: 'We don't know how much longer we can survive'

* Says facility's staff numbers down 52% during furlough

* But Galleria chief backs Gov't on 'super spreader' fear

By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

An ex-Cabinet minister yesterday said it was "unbelievable" that gyms have been allowed to re-open while his family's business remains closed, adding: "We don't know how much longer we can survive."

Leslie Miller, the former Tall Pines MP, suggested to Tribune Business it must have been an "oversight" by the Prime Minister and his office in allowing gyms to re-open while keeping the likes of Mario’s Bowling and Family Entertainment Palace, cinemas, nightclubs and bars closed in a bid to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.

Arguing that Mario's, with 24-foot high ceilings and 76,000 square feet, was far better suited to maintaining social distancing and other COVID-19 health protocols than smaller-sized gyms once patron numbers were limited, Mr Miller pledged to call Dr Hubert Minnis' office today and bring his concerns "to their attention".

However, Chris Mortimer, Galleria Cinemas' principal, said yesterday he understood why gyms had been allowed to re-open yet entertainment businesses such as his and Mr Miller's remained closed.

Describing the two sectors as "different businesses", he added that gym patrons often spent only 30 to 46 minutes at a venue, whereas cinemas and entertainment businesses typically attracted large crowds in confined spaces for an extended period of time.

"Especially at this point in time, when cases are coming down, you don't want to be in a position where you put lots of people together and start the virus again when we're so close to the end," Mr Mortimer said. "You don't want to cause a super spreader event."

Mr Miller, meanwhile, adding that Mario's had been "kept in tip-top shape" during its almost nine-month enforced closure, said the facility was "ready to go" and had already implemented the necessary health measures in preparation for the go-ahead to re-open from the Government.

Disclosing that Mario's has retained just 48 percent of its pre-pandemic 108-strong staff, with many unwilling to remain on furlough indefinitely on $100 per week government unemployment assistance, Mr Miller said that apart from having their electricity cut off some of the remaining workers were now being threatened with foreclosure by the banks due to mortgage non-payments.

Describing the situation facing Mario's remaining workers as "serious", he told this newspaper: "At this rate, if we don't open between now and next week I don't know what we're going to do. I don't think anybody does.

"We wrote to them [the Prime Minister's Office] last week Tuesday. One of the senior commissioned police officers had told us we could have opened. We didn't want to take a chance, so we wrote to the Prime Minister's Office and have not heard anything. We're still waiting on his office to answer.

"We don't know what's happening. We're still closed. We don't know how much longer we can survive. All staff members are getting is $100 a week. Some are getting $50, and a few of them are about to lose their homes as the banks are threatening them with foreclosure. This is a serious, serious business."

Mr Miller, whose family has been losing $150,000 a month just to maintain the Mario's facility in the Summerwinds Plaza off Tonique Williams Highway, added that "hopefully we can figure out a way to get people back to work.

"Christmas is right around the corner," he said. "We have 52 staff members. That's down from what was 108. We don't know what to do. We're very concerned about the welfare of the staff and their families, but there is nothing we can do. The Government makes that decision; they make that call. Whenever they get back to us, we're ready to re-open. We've kept the place in tip-top shape."

Mr Miller, though, was incredulous that the Government allowed gyms to re-open with effect from yesterday while the likes of Mario's, Fusion Superplex and Galleria Cinemas remain closed. "I don't believe that," he blasted, when informed by this newspaper. "The gyms are allowed to open? Why are we not being allowed to re-open?

"We have 24-foot high ceilings. Why are we not being allowed to open? I find that incredible. Our facilities are 76,000 square feet. I'm shocked gyms have been allowed to re-open and entertainment establishments such as ours have not.

"I find that unbelievable. Gyms are operating in an enclosed space; they have 10 percent of the space we have. We don't know what to do. I'm sure it's just an oversight. I will call his office tomorrow and bring it to their attention," Mr Miller continued.

"I'm sure when they drew up that list they missed entertainment businesses such as ours. I'm sure it's not intentional; just an oversight - I'm sure of that. I will speak to him [Dr Minnis] tomorrow and inform you of our conversation."

Galleria's Mr Mortimer, though, said he "didn't have any expectations that we would be opening before next year" at the Mall at Marathon-based cinema. Branding this "the right call" by the Government, he added that business and economic revival was inextricably linked to progress in the health battle against COVID-19.

Noting that there was also an absence of new product, as movie releases from the major US studios have been deferred until Easter 2021, Mr Mortimer said Galleria had used its closure "to ready ourselves for a new future" where it must diversify its sources to compete with the Netflix and HBO Max streaming services for fresh content.

"We have a couple of things we're going to do if the call is made in mid to end-January," he explained. "We have lined up some additional products sourced outside the traditional theatric sector. We'd also be able to provide product at reduced prices."

Suggesting that adult movie ticket prices might drop from $10 to $7 once Galleria re-opens, Mr Mortimer added that the cinema business had sourced sufficient options to carry it through to whenever the major US studios began releasing new movies.

"We've been in contact with our associates in the industry, and made sure that throughout this crisis we stayed in contact with them so we had a full understanding of how this is going to play out in terms of the reduction in finished product out of the US," Mr Mortimer said.

"Once that started to happen, we put in place our plans to acquire product from other jurisdictions to fill in the slate until the US business turns, especially with a lot of these companies moving to a streaming future. Warner Brothers is making a lot of product available on HBO Max.

"Regardless of what happens next year in the theatrics business, we're going to have to expand our access to different countries. We're readying ourselves for a new future that begins next year. All the streaming services are fighting for top quality content now," he added.

"That's what we've been doing for the better part of last quarter: Identifying distributors throughout the world that have content we believe Bahamians want to see, and sorting out the agreements."

Asked how much income Galleria has lost due to its COVID-19 enforced closure, Mr Mortimer replies: "I don't look at it from that particular perspective. You cannot count what you do not have. I don't want to be a person pulling numbers out of a hat.

"We're ready to go and bring down the cost of entertainment in The Bahamas and provide a good quality product.... We're confident that whenever they go ahead we'll be ready in the early part of the New Year, and be ready to serve the Bahamian people."