Amid surging COVID-19 cases caused by the Omicron variant, Canadian cinema operator Cineplex is said to have temporarily laid off 6,000 part-time employees due to mandated closures of its venues.

Coronavirus cases have been rising rapidly due to the highly transmissible variant globally. In Canada, according to the Reuters tally, 36,110 new infections were reported on an average each day.

Cineplex spokeswoman Sarah Van Lange said that due to mandated closures of Cineplex's theatres and entertainment sites across Ontario and Quebec, the company has yet again decided to temporarily lay off its part-time workforce.

Cineplex had taken similar actions for all provincial government mandated closures earlier since the pandemic began.

Out of the 6,000 workers being laid off, 5,000 are in Ontario.

The cinema industry has been one of the worst affected sectors by the pandemic, with lockdowns shutting cinemas and delaying movie releases. The industry at the same time has also been trying to stave off increased competition from streaming services.

In December, the 2019 planned acquisition of Cineplex by British cinema operator Cineworld was scrapped.