Lights, camera, no popcorn.<\/b>
\nLights, camera, no popcorn. France beginning Monday will prohibit cinema-goers from eating and drinking at the movies as the country battles an unprecedented surge in COVID-19 cases fueled by the omicron variant. The ban, coming on the heels of New Year\u2019s celebrations, will last for at least three weeks and also affect theaters, sports venues and public transportation. \u201cIt\u2019s going to be strange to just go to the cinema and do without all these little moments,\u201d Vincent Bourdais told The Associated Press while getting ready to see the newest \u201cSpider-Man\u201d movie at a cinema in Marly-le-Roi, about 17 miles west of Paris. With restaurants still serving food and drinks, some people are wondering what good the anti-movie snack measures will do. The rules starting next week will also see France once more limiting the number of people allowed at public venues to 2,000 indoors and 5,000 outside. Campaign rallies will not be affected. France \u2014 which has so far administered over 123 million vaccine doses \u2014 has recorded over 124,500 COVID-19 deaths, and last weekend for the first time recorded over 100,000 new cases in a single day. The country on Wednesday set a record high of 208,000 daily infections, followed by 206,243 cases Thursday. With News Wire Services<\/p>\n