How Coronavirus has affected Hollywood, others
Several events within and outside Hollywood are already being affected by the coronavirus epidemic. Weekend Magazine takes a look. This week, Tom Hanks, 63, revealed on his personal Instagram that he and his wife, Rita Wilson have tested positive for the Coronavirus (COVID-19) while filming Baz Luhrmann’s untitled movie for Warner Bros in Australia. […]
Several events within and outside Hollywood are already being affected by the coronavirus epidemic. Weekend Magazine takes a look.
This week, Tom Hanks, 63, revealed on his personal Instagram that he and his wife, Rita Wilson have tested positive for the Coronavirus (COVID-19) while filming Baz Luhrmann’s untitled movie for Warner Bros in Australia.
According to The Hollywood Reporters, the couple are now in isolation in a Queensland hospital and government officials have said that people who have come in close contact with them will need to self-isolate and quarantine. Currently, the film production has been shut down.
On March 5, Wilson was reported to have performed songs from her new album ‘Halfway to Home’ at Brisbane’s Emporium Hotel. She also made her debut on Saturday at the Sydney Opera House.
Several other international productions are currently shooting in Australia, including Marvel’s ‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.’
The Directors Guild of America (DGA) has already announced the cancellation of non-critical group meetings and will limit or cancel future events due to the coronavirus epidemic.
“The situation is quickly evolving, and we will continue to re-assess plans and communicate accordingly,” the DGA said in a message to its more than 18,000 members on its web site on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, CinemaCon 2020 has been cancelled by organisers due to coronavirus concerns, Variety reported. This was made public in a statement from NATO’s John Fithian and Mitch Neuhauser.
CinemaCon is an annual gathering of global movie theatre owners. It was scheduled to hold from March 30 to April 2 in Las Vegas. Typical of the event, presentations from the likes of Universal, Warner Bros, and Paramount would have showed off exclusive footage with top movie stars to thrill the theatre owners.
Large gatherings of more than 250 people has been banned in three counties by Washington Governor Inslee in the state’s the Seattle-Tacoma area through the end of March. San Francisco also issued a ban on gatherings of more than 1,000 people, according to Variety. This means the possible cancellation or postponements of concerts like those holding at the Tacoma Dome arena, Billie Eilish and Celine Dion, and the summer season at the 27,000-capacity outdoor Gorge Amphitheater, which starts in May.
Already, President Donald Trump’s 30-day European travel ban is expected to further paralyse and isolate the film and TV industry. It is set to affect 26 European countries including France, Italy, Germany and Spain, but excludes countries outside Schengen Zone, such as the U.K. and Ireland.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Wednesday labelled the coronavirus a pandemic during a media briefing in Geneva, saying it is a crisis that will affect all sectors.
WHO Director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the number of COVID-19 cases outside China had increased 13-fold, while the number of affected countries had tripled in the past two weeks.