Continued commercial production was temporarily shut down in Southern California due to rising coronavirus outbreaks in the region, which took effect immediately. The largest studios and streamers have meanwhile been in production breaks in Southern California until mid-January. The agreement to halt local commercial production was announced tonight by SAG-AFTRA, the Producer Guild of America, and the joint policy committee of the Association of National Advertisers and the American Association of Advertising Agency.
“Southern California hospitals are facing a crisis like we have never seen before,” said SAG-AFTRA president Gabrielle Carteris. ‘Patients die in ambulances waiting for treatment because hospital’s emergency rooms are overwhelmed. This is not currently a safe environment for personal production. ”
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David White, the union’s national executive director, said that “putting aside the risk of acquiring Covid on set – a risk that we have done a great deal to alleviate through our safety protocols – keeps production on the product always some degree of injury in, whether due to a wrong stunt, a failure of equipment or a garden variety.At the moment, with few or no hospital beds available, it is difficult to understand how a worker injured on the set is supposed to seek treatment.I would like to thank the JPC and the PGA for their efforts to strengthen safety measures for all, and we acknowledge and appreciate the great studios and other producers who produced them during this emergency proactively increased and postponed. ”
White added that “it is currently too difficult to say when the situation may improve, but we are keeping a close eye and will ensure that our members have the necessary information to make the best decisions to protect themselves and our community.”
In a message to their members, PGA President Gail Berman and Lucy Fisher said: ‘We take the health and safety of our members, cast, crew and community very seriously. Due to the Covid boom and the lack of hospital capacity, we encourage everyone who is currently shooting in Southern California to slow down production until the health officials in the province indicate that it is safe to start again. Although we realize that these are difficult times and that it is a difficult decision, producers must and must serve as leaders in our productions and in the wider community. Hopefully we will be back to work soon. ”
Stacy Marcus, chief negotiator for the Joint Policy Committee, said ‘commercial producers are strongly encouraged to reschedule their productions in Southern California until a later time when hospital capacity has eased. It is simply too great a risk for artists, crew members and industry staff to continue with the science that hospitals are in crisis and that the number of cases is still rising. “