The UK government confirms film and TV production can resume following the Coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic shutdown.
All physical film production has been shut down and in lockdown since March 23rd. According to reports, film, and television production in the UK are allowed to restart. But, productions must abide by all social distancing guidelines.
The change comes as news of the government's latest guidelines for social distancing. “All workers who cannot work from home should travel to work if their workplace is open.”
Workplaces that reopen, including film productions, should “ensure employees can maintain a two-meter distance from others, and wash their hands regularly,” according to the Covid-19 guidelines on the government's website.
The complete Coronavirus COVID-19 secure guidelines will be published later this week, and productions are required to adhere to the rules to restart production.
“The government is working closely with the screen sector to understand how different types of productions can comply with social distancing guidelines, and give confidence to people in the TV and film industries that there are safe ways in which they can return to work,” a DCMS spokesperson told Screen.
In relevant news, the 73rd Cannes Film Festival is canceled.
Due to the Coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, the legendary film festival is no longer happening. Festival director Thierry Frémaux confirmed the news to Screen Daily, “Under the circumstances, a physical edition of Cannes 2020 is hard to envisage, so we'll have to do something different. A ‘festival' is a collective party, a spectacle that brings together an audience in a given location, in this case on the Croisette, in the presence of thousands of people. Everyone understands that that's impossible this year.” He continued, “The Cannes Film Festival, which by its nature is a globalized institution, can't escape being a victim in the same way as the rest of human activities.”
