Some film and TV productions to be exempt from quarantine rules in UK
Some film and TV productions will be exempt from coronavirus quarantine rules, the UK government announced today (July 5).
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Read more: All the films and TV shows suspended due to coronavirus
Currently, people travelling into the UK must quarantine for two weeks on arrival. However, the government’s new plan will allow those who are essential to a production will not be required to quarantine.
Instead, they will have to live and work in a controlled “bubble” environment for 14 days, travelling only between their accommodation and production location. They must also be regularly tested for coronavirus.
The exemption applies to those travelling to the UK to work on productions that qualify as British. This includes Mission: Impossible 7 and 8, both of which are being shot at the Warner Bros. Studio in Leavesden, Hertfordshire.
“The world’s biggest blockbusters and high-end TV shows are made in Britain,” Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said. “Our creativity, expertise and highly successful tax reliefs for our screen industries mean that we are an in-demand location that, in turn, delivers a great return for our economy.
FILM NEWS ?
New exemption from quarantine rules for filmmakers means we can start making the ? best blockbusters again
Great to talk to @TomCruise last weekend about getting the cameras rolling again on Mission: Impossible 7 at #Leavesden https://t.co/We5JhITbYg pic.twitter.com/ebw33aeRXC
— Oliver Dowden (@OliverDowden) July 5, 2020
“We want the industry to bounce back and exempting small numbers of essential cast and crew from quarantine is part of our continued commitment to getting cameras rolling safely again. This is welcome news not just for film lovers but the thousands employed across the screen industries and the sectors it supports.”
Posting on Twitter, Dowden said he had already spoken with Tom Cruise, who will star in M:I7 and 8, about production on the films being able to resume.
Adrian Wootton, the chief executive of the British Film Commission, welcomed the news, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “Today’s immensely welcome news is also a clear recognition of the importance of the film and high-end TV inward investment sector to the UK’s economy,” he said. “The sector was worth over £3 billion in 2019 and has a clear role to play in our economic recovery following the lockdown.
“While the British Film Commission COVID-19 production guidance published last month is already helping to restart production safely, this considered exemption will allow international cast and crew back in the country, and back on set, to continue work on the blockbuster films and high-end TV productions at our biggest studio facilities.”
Other films that could benefit from the new exemptions include Jurassic World: Dominion, The Batman, Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them 3, and The Little Mermaid.
Meanwhile, UK cinemas were allowed to reopen yesterday (July 4). Vue and Cineworld cinemas have both postponed their reopening date, however, to July 31 after the releases of blockbusters Tenet and Mulan were delayed.