Are filmmakers in Florida putting actors in danger and at risk of contracting the Zika virus?
Last month Netflix announced that they are going to renew Bloodline for a third season. The Miami filmed TV series was expected to get canceled after Florida representatives cut their filming incentives in the state. However, a lot has changed since Netflix announced another season of Bloodline. For example, the Zika virus epidemic is getting so bad in Southern Florida that the governor has announced a state of emergency and stores across Miami are clothing their doors. From Bloomberg:
There were 16 cases of mosquito-transmitted Zika reported in the mainland U.S. as of Friday, and health officials have traced most to a square-mile area north of downtown Miami. Empty streets there reminded Gallery 212 owner Michael Perez of when he had to temporarily close a store in New York in 2001, after the Sept. 11 attacks.
“I'm just like living my life all over again, with this Zika thing,” he said in a telephone interview. “It's crazy, the streets are bare right now.”
It's a scary thought that filmmakers are going to have actors, crew workers, and background extras outside to work on scenes while more and more people are getting infected with the Zika Virus.
According to the CDC, the “most common symptoms of Zika are fever, rash, joint pain, or conjunctivitis (red eyes). Other common symptoms include muscle pain and headache. The incubation period (the time from exposure to symptoms) for Zika virus disease is not known, but is likely to be a few days to a week.”
The biggest worry is for pregnant women. There are studies showing that the Zika virus is connected to the rise of microcephaly – Microcephaly is a birth defect where a baby's head is smaller than expected when compared to babies of the same sex and age. Babies with microcephaly often have smaller brains that might not have developed properly.
At the moment Netflix's Bloodline is going to continue to film in Miami. So, if you're working in the film industry in Florida, the best thing you can do to protect yourself is by building a Zika Prevention Kit.
Via Bloomberg
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