UPDATED: An outbreak of COVID-19 has been reported at Television City, the studio where “The Bold and the Beautiful” and other shows are produced.
Three staffers have come down with the virus at the studio formerly known as CBS Television City, at 7800 Beverly Blvd. in Los Angeles.
Hackman Capital Partners, the owner of the facility, said that the infected workers are CBS corporate employees who are not tied to any of the TV productions at the facility. Tyler J. Friedman, a senior vice president of the company, said that no productions were forced to shut down.
The outbreak was publicly reported on Wednesday by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. The report did not identify the jobs of the infected workers or provide additional details.
In a statement, Hackman Capital Partners that the three individuals had been sent home after testing positive. Those who were in close contact with them also self-quarantined, the company said.
“The health and safety of the individuals who work at Television City Studios is paramount,” the company said. “We are complying with all requirements and will continue to evolve our protocols to ensure that our operations are proceeding in the safest and most responsible manner possible during this challenging period.”
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“The Bold and the Beautiful” restarted production there in mid-June, shortly after the county allowed TV and film production to resume. Production was briefly halted on the show that same month after a number of “false positives,” according to Bell-Phillip Television, the show’s production company.
“The Young and the Restless” also returned to production there, and “The Late Late Show” with James Corden resumed shooting there on Aug. 10 after several months of at-home production. Sources said both shows were not affected by the outbreak.
Film and TV productions are supposed to adhere to strict guidelines that limit the number of people who can be on set and mandate testing and protective gear.
On Tuesday, the county amended those guidelines to mandate that craft service dining be held outdoors, and to recommend — though not require — that any audience segments be taped outdoors. The county also required that hired audience members sit six feet apart.
The amended orders also banned any rehearsals that are not tied to a particular production.
The reasons for the new rules were not explained.
Westbrook Inc., the film and TV production company founded by Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, reported a significant COVID outbreak two weeks ago in Calabasas. The outbreak — initially reported as infecting 10 people, later cut to nine people — halted production on an unspecified project.
Workplaces in Los Angeles County are required to report outbreaks of three or more individuals to public health officials.
CBS sold the studio to Hackman Capital in 2018. Here is Hackman Capital’s full statement:
We can confirm that three individuals who accessed Television City Studios were recently diagnosed with COVID-19. The affected individuals were immediately sent home and sought appropriate medical care. Additionally, the studio undertook thorough contact tracing to ensure that any other persons who had contact with the three individuals were appropriately notified and self-quarantined.
Our response to this situation is consistent with a set of best-in-class operating procedures that were developed and implemented prior to the re-opening of Television City Studios. Such measures include, among other important controls, site entry restrictions and temperature checks, thorough and regular cleaning and disinfecting of all areas of the property, extensive on-site COVID testing, on-site medical staff, including a licensed epidemiologist, staggered staffing schedules, enhanced hygiene controls, and mandated social distancing. Since the resumption of production activities in June, hundreds of individuals on a daily basis have safely accessed the studio lot.
The health and safety of the individuals who work at Television City Studios is paramount. We are complying with all requirements and will continue to evolve our protocols to ensure that our operations are proceeding in the safest and most responsible manner possible during this challenging period.
