An employee at daily entertainment newsmagazine “Access Hollywood” has tested positive for the coronavirus, Variety has learned.
The case was discovered through routine testing. According to a person familiar with the situation, the production has not shut down, and contact tracing has been implemented and completed. There are “stringent” safety and testing protocols, in addition to contact tracing, in place at the production, said the source.
“Access Hollywood” went back into the studio for production in June. A separate source describes the show as having a lean set with only a handful of people working in the same vicinity. The national daily syndicated show features Mario Lopez, Kit Hoover, Scott Evans and Sibley Scoles as hosts. A representative for “Access Hollywood” declined to comment.
Recent episodes from this past week have featured Lopez and Evans filming from separate parts of the stage, talking to each other from afar. In one shot, they share an anchor desk but appear to be seated about six feet apart.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, U.S. television and film productions are grappling with how to safely return to work. In Los Angeles County, 168,757 cases of coronavirus have been reported, including 4,300 deaths, as of Friday. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti warned, in a CNN appearance last Sunday, that the city is “on the brink” of another shutdown that would require residents to shelter in place once more in order to prevent the spread of the virus.
Last month, “The Bold and the Beautiful” briefly halted production of the CBS daytime drama due to what its producers said were “several false positive” results from the testing lab. None of the cast and crew tested were confirmed to have had the virus, and the series switched labs as a result.
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