Santikos CEO places himself, staff on furlough during stay-at-home order

In a YouTube video uploaded on Friday, Santikos Entertainment CEO Tim Handren said he is placing himself and his staff on furlough until the movie theater chain can reopen.

Santikos temporarily closed its theaters in March after the city ordered all non-essential businesses to shut down to help slow the spread of the coronavirus. The company plans to reopen in mid-t0-late June, Handren said in the video.

READ MORE: The latest news and features about coronavirus in San Antonio

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Before announcing the furloughs, Handren said Santikos attempted to apply for a small business loan under the CARES Act, a federal stimulus package passed by congress late last month that aims to bring relief to the struggling economy. A part of the recovery package is a loan program that helps small businesses pay its employees. Santikos, however, did not qualify because it has more than 500 employees.

“It’s with a heavy heart to tell you we don’t have a way to continue to keep you on the payroll right now,” Handren said in the video.

Santikos said it did pay its employees in advance through April 2, which allows the staff on the company’s benefits program to have health insurance until the end of April.

Handren encouraged the Santikos staff to apply for unemployment to help them get through these next few months.

“Take care of yourself,” he said. “We want to get through this together … You’re all still part of the Santikos family and I’m looking forward to the day we can all be reunited as a family.”

Priscilla Aguirre is a general assignment reporter for MySA.com | [email protected] | @CillaAguirre