Creative floating cinema attracts Israeli movie-goers amid COVID-19 outbreak

The Israeli city of Tel Aviv has found a creative way to entertain its residents by screening films at a lake in Yarkon Park when all theaters and cinemas are closed under COVID-19 restrictions.

After a successful pilot with dozens of paddle boats in the lake, each carrying up to four viewers, screenings will be open for residents every evening starting Saturday until the end of August.

For each screening, Yarkon Park's lake can accommodate about 200 people in roughly 70 boats at a distance of two meters between each other in accordance with public health standards.

Opal Peretz, one of the first audiences at what Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality calls Israel's first "sail-in" floating cinema, told Xinhua that it is a great idea and a unique experience for her, hoping the initiative will continue at every weekend even after the coronavirus outbreak ends.

Naama, another exited participant, also called for such lake screenings on a regular basis, while recommending the installation of a bigger screen, more orderly positioning of boats and silence while watching films.

The COVID-19 outbreak is challenging the cultural sector in Israel, as the restrictions allow only outdoor activities for cultural events in Israel that has been suffering in July and August one of the world's highest rates of coronavirus cases per capita.