The rise in COVID-19 cases and the arrival of the Omicron variant are hitting TV shows, where the rules are being tightened.
In a note sent to its members on Friday, the day after Prime Minister François Legault’s press briefing, the Quebec Association of Media Productions (AQPM) announced the implementation of new measures to meet the health standards currently in force.
From Monday, the minimum distance of two meters between two people will become relevant again, except when the rules for small stable teams apply. The medical mask (called “procedure”) must be worn at all times, both indoors and outdoors. And since the maximum capacity of performance halls has been reduced to 50%, shows recorded in front of the public will be affected.
In a message sent to Press, Radio-Canada claims to take the situation “very seriously” and to follow developments “very closely”.
Another consequence of the new measures included in the Guide to workplace health standards for the audiovisual industry : interventions by FaceTime and Skype, which we thought we had gotten rid of, will make a comeback, especially at RDS. The management of the sports antenna having considerably restricted access to the studio of the 5 to 7 by Yanick Bouchard and Frédéric Plante, several panelists will now appear at a distance, we learned.
Other shows should follow their example.
Of District 31 to Bye bye 2021
Since most of the series have completed their filming, these new rules will affect – initially – a limited number of productions. Among the fictions which will be touched first, let us point out District 31. The police drama team finished filming on Friday. She will resume the necklace on January 3, after a two-week hiatus.
As for Radio-Canada’s end-of-year broadcasts, they escaped him. France Beaudoin confirms that the registration ofLive from New Years Day was held the day before Prime Minister François Legault’s speech, on Wednesday.
For their part, the shootings of Bye bye 2021 ended Tuesday evening. Will Simon Olivier Fecteau and company allude to the new pandemic facts in one of the sketches that will be presented on New Year’s Eve? “We are always on the lookout until December 31,” replied the producer of the show, Guillaume Lespérance.
A filming stopped in Montreal
This new outbreak of COVID-19 cases in Quebec has forced the shutting of a production to stop, has learned Press. It is Ghosts, an American series from the CBS network shot in Montreal. A team member tested positive. Operations are expected to resume in January.
CBS PHOTO
Series Ghosts
As for the programs in French, there is nothing to report for the moment. And since no set has been hit by a COVID-19 outbreak since filming resumed in June 2020, the industry seems confident to keep its record intact.
“It shows that we are respecting the measures and that we are taking the situation seriously,” indicates the president of the Alliance québécoise des technicians de l’image et du son (AQTIS) local section 514 AIEST, Christian Lemay. But we will have to remain careful. The Omicron variant is much more contagious. We must wash our hands on a regular basis, ventilate the trays, wear the mask everywhere, keep a distance of two meters … These are measures that remind us of the start of the pandemic, there is certainly a little discouragement. among our members, but I have no doubts that they are ready to do the right thing. ”
In addition, the resurgence of COVID-19 infections affected TVA Sports this week. Over the past few days, Jean-Philippe Bertrand has replaced Jean-Charles Lajoie at the helm of JiC, since the host has contracted the virus.