> During the pandemic there was a pause in theatrical releases and the little rental chains couldn't weather that, so they disappeared.

Funny enough the pandemic was the reason I canceled my Netflix DVD subscription.

During the early days there was no information about how it spread. The DVDs are sanitized (wiping finger prints, etc.) but I wasn't sure about the sleeves. I know a number of organic things can survive for over a year without a host (fuck you ringworm) so I wanted to play it safe.