The Los Angeles County health department wants film productions in the area to pause following the recent surge in coronavirus cases. The novel virus, discovered first in China at the beginning of 2020, and spreading rapidly across the globe, affected film productions almost immediately. From London to LA and New Zealand, all movie and TV productions were shut down in March due to the pandemic. Those shutdowns initially expected to last just a few weeks ended up stretching on for months.
The break affected production deadlines and release schedules, with most movies and TV shows getting moved out, while those which were scheduled to be released in 2020 were, for the most part, delayed to 2021 or later. By June, the industry had established safety protocols for working during the pandemic, including reduced crews, regular testing, and the mandatory wearing of masks and face shields while on set. That led to productions gearing up in the late summer and fall, though some were still affected by outbreaks despite the rigorous protocols put in place. Recently, though, things seem to have settled down on sets as crews have learned to negotiate the restrictions.
Now, though, productions are being encouraged to pause once again. According to Variety, the Los Angeles County health department has asked active productions to "strongly consider" shutting down for the next few weeks due to the massive surge in COVID cases seen in the area. The announcement was circulated in an email sent to industry members, asking them to re-evaluate their shoots and at the very least shift productions to "low risk" scenes if production can't be paused. The email also cautioned against travel for production purposes, citing a higher risk of contracting the virus due to people being in close proximity for more extended periods. You can see the full message below:
Although music, TV and film productions are allowed to operate, we ask you to strongly consider pausing work for a few weeks during this catastrophic surge in COVID cases. Identify and delay higher risk activities, and focus on lower-risk work for now, if at all possible. Travel for production purposes is currently not advised. [Travel makes] it more likely that people will end up together in vehicles or indoors in less-controlled settings. Keep cast and crew close to home.
The news is a fresh blow to the industry, which has already suffered a great deal of turmoil. Whether productions will heed the advice or not remains to be seen, but it's likely that if things get any worse, they won't have a choice, as Los Angeles may end up enforcing the shutdown. The result of this will likely be more release delays, something that will be felt in a few months only. This is all happening at a time when various COVID vaccines are rolling out, though experts expect it to only make a dent in case numbers by the summer.
For now, though, it seems as though at least some productions will have to shut down. This could likely cause more industry issues, as crew members will have to take another unscheduled pause in pay, making it harder for them to reach their income targets over the next year. Hopefully, the voluntary shutdown doesn't last as long this time and that the spread of coronavirus is slowed enough for movies and TV shows to get back into proper shooting mode soon.
Source: Variety