Film and entertainment industries all over the world are finding ways to navigate the new normal emerging during this ongoing global coronavirus pandemic. The latest development comes from the United Kingdom, which has introduced quarantine exemptions for a limited number of Hollywood actors and crew.
Variety reports that Oliver Dowden, the United Kingdom’s Culture Secretary, announced the exemptions after a dialogue with Mission Impossible star Tom Cruise. Cruise and the cast and crew of the seventh and eighth Mission Impossible movies can now enter the United Kingdom without having to quarantine for 14 days.
This exemption also extends to the essential cast and crew of other productions, as part of the United Kingdom’s efforts to restart productions that were meant to shoot films in the country. Normal American citizens will have to undergo 14 days of quarantine if they ever visit the United Kingdom, as the United States was not included in the list of countries whose citizens could enter without having to quarantine.
Aside from Mission Impossible now being able to continue shooting at the Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden in Hertfordshire, The Hollywood Reporter says a number of productions that were shooting in the United Kingdom might be able to restart as well. These include the films The Little Mermaid from Disney, Cinderella from Sony, the third Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them film, and The Batman from Matt Reeves.
Restarting these productions could bring a much-needed boost to the economy of the United Kingdom. According to Adrian Wootton, chief executive of the British Film Commission, the film and entertainment was able to bring in £3 billion the previous year.
While the exemption allows cast and crew entry without quarantine, they will still have to abide by the COVID-19 production guidance released by the British Film Commission the previous month.
The film industry may have gotten itself a break with this exemption, but other industries have not fared as well. Just recently, the Broadway League announced that Broadway theaters will be closed until the end of the year. It is a huge economic hit to New York as Broadway brings in $14.7 billion to the city’s economy, provides 97,000 jobs, and draws in almost 15 million visitors to New York City.
Whether this exemption will prove beneficial in the end remains to be seen as coronavirus cases continue to rise all over the world. According to the July 5 situation report from the World Health Organization, 11,125245 people worldwide are now confirmed to have COVID-19 cases. Deaths caused by COVID-19 is now at 528,204 people.