Hollywood cancels more events as indoor mask mandate is reinstated



[ad_1]

With growing concerns about an increase in COVID cases and a new indoor mask mandate for Los Angeles implemented from Saturday night, some in-person Hollywood events are already being canceled.

A Friday night screening of “Joe Bell”, hosted by stars Mark Wahlberg and Reid Miller at WME in Beverly Hills, was canceled hours before its launch after the agency announced it would close its Los Angeles offices for at least a week from Monday.

A surprise “Ted Lasso” Q&A was also canceled on Saturday at the Tower Theater Apple Store in downtown Los Angeles. The 30-minute panel, moderated by Variety‘s Jazz Tangcay, was to include actors from the Emmy-nominated comedy series. Two outdoor “Ted Lasso” events are taking place again this weekend. A screening and conversation takes place Friday night at the Pacific Design Center, then a small affair takes place Saturday at Ross House with Variety cover the stars Waddingham and Juno Temple.

On Thursday afternoon, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health announced it would reinstate the indoor mask mandate “regardless of vaccine status” due to a surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. The new mask policy will begin at 11:59 p.m. on Saturday.

Several areas in northern California recommend wearing masks indoors, without making it a warrant like in LA

More Hollywood events and venues could be affected by the growing number of COVID-19 cases, including movie theaters, which recently began to reopen and welcome guests again after mask warrants and restrictions were lifted capacity. The COVID spike and the return of the mask’s tenure is a blow to the already battered exhibition industry, especially since it comes just as cinema was picking up again with the success of Marvel’s’ Black Widow ‘tents and’ F9 ”from Universal.

“It is wise to continue to prepare for all scenarios with regard to changing public sentiment during this recovery process, but it is too early to say whether the renewal of mask mandates in localized areas will discourage a lot of activities. There is always a pent-up desire to get back to normalcy, ”said Shawn Robbins, chief analyst at Box Office Pro. Variety. “With many people getting a taste of it this summer, it would be hard to expect such encouraging trends to reverse significantly as long as vaccines continue to prove effective against known variants. . “

Movie releases and other live events will face unpredictable situations, like the return of the LA County mask tenure, for some time. It’s a sobering reminder that the pandemic is far from over.

“It comes down to a risk for those who can’t or won’t get vaccinated, many of whom may not yet have returned to the movies or other social gatherings for this very reason. The needle may not move much, but there is no guarantee of anything under such unique circumstances, ”said Robbins. “This is a development we need to keep an eye on, but ultimately it is also a development that has been expected for some time as part of the transition to pre-pandemic behavior.”



[ad_2]

Source link