CBS has pushed the post-New Year restart dates on several of its series a week as COVID-19 cases in Los Angeles County have surged, according to a report from The Hollywood Reporter.
The production on NCIS, NCIS: Los Angeles, SEAL Team, Why Women Kill, and Disney+’s Diary of a Future President had been planned to return on January 4 after their holiday break. Now, all five shows will now resume on January 11.
“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,” the County’s Department of Public Health wrote on Christmas Eve. “Identify and delay higher risk activities, and focus on lower risk work for now, if at all possible.”
On Tuesday, California Governor Gavin Newsom extended a stay-at-home order from the end of December to January 16. However, film and TV production are considered an “essential business” in Los Angeles, allowing studios to continue employing thousands of workers during the pandemic.
California is currently distributing COVID-19 vaccines to first-priority individuals including healthcare workers and nursing homes. Actors such as Ian McKellen has received his shot in the UK, and other celebrities are endorsing getting the vaccine.
The studio’s other projects are slated to go back into production later in January.
