California Coronavirus Update: Governor Gavin Newsom Says Film And TV Restart Guidelines Will Come Later This Week; Producers And Guilds Working On Some Issues “That Predated This Pandemic”

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Governor Gavin Newsom announced during his Tuesday Coronavirus press conference that, while he had hoped to present guidelines for restarting film and TV production today, he is pushing back that announcement to confer with guilds and producers.

“We chose to engage a little more formally” in the conversations, he said. “We want to extend them [the deadline] to later this week, possibly this weekend, because we are working with both industry and labor and they want to tighten up some aspects of the
guidelines.”

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When asked more specifically about the holdup, Newsom said that “industry and labor asked for more time as they worked through some issues.” He said he sees the delay as a positive development since some of these were issues “that predated this pandemic.”

“It’s been a very positive process,” said Newsom, before saying that the reopening of film and TV production is looking a lot like that implemented by the grocery industry, which the governor called “a model in terms of guidelines for safely reopening.”

The reopening for production may not include L.A. County, however.

Newsom announced modifications to regional guidance so long as there are attestations at the county level that there are adequate plans in place should a rise in cases be seen again. Forty seven of the 58 counties currently have made such attestations. Most notably, L.A. county is not among them which, of course, has a huge impact on production.

The governor said his health director has been working with L.A. County Health Director Barbara Ferrer and may consider opening some parts of the county sooner than others. Whether or not that would include reopening for production remains to be seen.

“We have been making modifications in real time, not just waiting for press conference,” he said.

Over the long weekend, the state announced customers could resume shopping in stores, with modifications. Places of worship were reopened but limited to 25 percent capacity or 100 people.

The governor announced that barbershops and hair salons are now allowed under those regional variances. Tomorrow, he promised new guidelines for summer camps and childcare. Newsom said he is working with the state legislature on reopening nail salons.

“We are just in the first wave of this pandemic,” cautioned the governor, indicating that the second wave is still to come.

Newsom said “the images over the weekend with this spectacular weather” are to be met with a note of caution. “It’s incumbent upon all of us to practice what we preach” he said.

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