Hollywood Productions Will Be Shut Down Until Mid-January, Per SAG-AFTRA, Amid Public Outcry and Pleas From Health Officials

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Following public criticism and pleas from local health officials, Hollywood will be largely shut down for the next few weeks.

According to the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), Hollywood is mostly locking down for a while. In a note penned by SAG-AFTRA leaders Gabrielle Carteris and David White, the labor union informed its membership of the plan.

“Most entertainment productions will remain on hiatus until the second or third week of January if not later,” Carteris and White wrote. “This means that the number of our member performers working on sets right now is reduced.”

The announcement comes days after the L.A. County Department of Public Health asked the industry to halt work.

“Although music, TV and film productions are allowed to operate, we ask you to strongly consider pausing work for a few weeks during this catastrophic surge in COVID cases,” department representatives wrote in a Dec. 24 email to film industry contacts. “Identify and delay higher risk activities, and focus on lower-risk work for now, if at all possible.”

The entertainment industry is deemed to be a “critical infrastructure” by the state of California, meaning that it can continue operations while other businesses are forced to shut down — as new lockdowns hit the L.A. area. The industry has drawn a great deal of heat from small business owners and others who have been impacted by the lockdowns.