The UK government has confirmed that the film and television industry can restart as long as it abides by the social distancing guidelines – including the two-meter rule – leading many to wonder how on earth it can be achieved.
With an increased number of people stuck indoors, relying on in-home entertainment such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ and various UK channel players, some feared there may be a lengthy gap in new content releases later in the year, due to the coronavirus pandemic and lockdowns bringing production to a halt.
Also on rt.com What’s in the UK government’s Covid-19 lockdown easing plan? Here are the main pointsHowever, the UK Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport says that as part of the latest changes in lockdown measures, the government has been “working closely with the screen sector to understand how different types of productions can comply with social distancing guidelines,” Screen Daily reports.
Workplaces that do reopen – including screen productions – should “ensure employees can maintain a two-meter distance from others, and wash their hands regularly,” according to the new Covid-19 guidelines published by the UK government on Monday.
The practicality of film and TV production companies trying to enforce social distancing measures in and around sets has sparked an array of humorous responses on social media – particularly in relation to shooting intimate scenes.
One commenter tweeted: “Gonna be fun to watch movies where all protagonists are 2m apart...sex scenes will be interesting too.” Another joked that ‘romance’ movies won’t be able to provide the genre’s usual ‘will they or won’t they’ tension, tweeting: “spoiler alert... they won’t.”
Others made fun of the UK government’s new addition to the easing of the lockdown measure in which one individual from one household can meet one individual of another household, but no more. The notion that film and TV companies will be able to ensure a two-meter distance was branded a “fantasy,” given that makeup artists and hairstylists have to physically touch someone to carry out their work.
Under the terms of the updated lockdown measures announced by PM Boris Johnson on Sunday, “All workers who cannot work from home should travel to work” from Wednesday – as long as employers adhere to social distancing safety guidelines.
Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak announced on Tuesday that the furlough scheme to pay wages of workers placed on leave because of the coronavirus outbreak will be extended for a further four months, until October 31.
Sunak confirmed that employees on leave will continue to receive 80 percent of their monthly wages up to £2,500 ($3,090) with employers helping to share the costs from August.
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