The Hollywood film studio Lionsgate has reinstated its mask mandate as cases of Covid-19 continue to rise.
In a company-wide email obtained by Deadline, it was announced that nearly half of the company’s employees would need to wear “medical grade” face masks again in the flagship offices in Los Angeles. The rule applies “except when alone in an office with the door closed, actively eating, actively drinking at their desk or workstation, or if they are the only individual present in a large open workspace”.
Employees are also now required to perform daily self-screenings and stay home if they have symptoms or have traveled internationally in the last 10 days. The company is also reintroducing contact tracing and providing at-home test kits when needed.
The measures are being brought back after several employees tested positive.
Lionsgate is best known for the John Wick, Saw and Hunger Games franchises.
Los Angeles county officially ended a state of emergency for Covid back in March but recent outbreaks have occurred on the set of the Fox show The Masked Singer, at Taylor Swift’s concerts at So-Fi Stadium and at Warner’s Culver City offices. The department of public health has reported “small increases” but has stressed that “overall metrics remain at a low level of concern”.
According to the Los Angeles Times tracker, there has been a 14-day uptick of 29% in hospitalised cases in California as a whole.
EG.5, AKA Eris, recently became the most dominant strain of Covid in the US with the CDC estimating that it makes up over 20% of new cases.
This week also saw news that Morris Brown College in Atlanta is reintroducing a 14-day mask mandate after reports of positive cases among students.
