‘Riverdale,’ ‘The Good Doctor’ & More Shows May Be Back in Production Soon
Riverdale, The Good Doctor and more productions could resume sooner rather than later as Vancouver-based shows have been given the green light by British Columbia’s government to implement re-start plans.
While Hollywood is getting back in gear with their productions, in Vancouver there’s a few steps that have to be taken before things return for shooting. According to Deadline, a representative for CreativeBC (an agency based out of British Columbia) said “CreativeBC is working with an industry coalition to develop COVID-19 Safety Guidelines, which will be published in mid-June.”
But timelines indicate that productions aren’t likely to begin prior to July 1 as Health & Safety Protocols for the motion picture industry released by WorkSafeBC stated, “Employers are required to develop a COVID-19 Safety Plan that outlines the policies, guidelines and procedures they have put in place to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission.
The BC guidelines which are viewable in their entirety online also state that “Employers must involve frontline workers, joint health and safety committees and supervisors in identifying protocols for their workplace. Despite the need for careful guidelines, the Health & Safety Protocols don’t require a formal plan in place for productions to resume. “You do not need a formal plan to begin operation, but are expected to develop it while protecting the safety of your workers,” WorkSafeBC reportedly told studios and producers.
Supernatural (Credit: Jeff Weddell/The CW)
For now, the border between the United States and Canada remains shut down to everyone apart from essential workers and personal exceptions through June 21, meaning that no serious work on American shows are likely to take place before then. And for those who live outside of the United State and wish to enter Canada, the entry date isn’t possible before June 30.
Exceptions are being made for those who have valid work permits though as the BC government stated, “Provided that they do not have symptoms of COVID-19 and that all other immigration admissibility criteria are met, travelers with valid or approved work permits will be permitted to travel.”
Once allowed in, all travelers are advised to self-quarantine for up to 14 days up until at least the end of June. While no shows have officially announced a return to productions, Vancouver-based shows that could resume production include Riverdale, The Good Doctor, The Flash, Supernatural, Batwoman and many more.
Stay tuned for news about when the shows will officially resume production and more.
