Maharashtra CM asks producers to abide by COVID-19 shooting protocols
Chief Minister of Maharashtra Uddhav Thackeray addressed certain representatives of the Producers Guild of India (PGI) on Saturday to discuss COVID-19 protocols that must be followed while shooting for television and films. He asked the producers to coordinate with the police about the locations and timings of their shootings in and around Mumbai. He also stressed expediting vaccination of artists and crew members.
Crew should be tested, treated properly upon showing symptoms: CM
Asking the producers to regularly conduct COVID-19 tests on their units, Thackeray spoke about the need to fully vaccinate their teams. "Even state government does not like to impose restrictions on...shooting, but the infection rate in Maharashtra and Kerala is still high. Producers in Mumbai and Maharashtra should do the COVID-19 test periodically. The crew members with symptoms should be treated properly," he said.
Producers demanded extension of shooting time while extending cooperation
The virtual meeting was attended by Ritesh Sidhwani (PGI representative) and Nagraj Manjule (representing Marathi film and TV industry), among others. They assured to abide by the pandemic-specific guidelines but requested shooting time limit be extended beyond the current 4:00 pm. "We have asked for permission to shoot after 4pm as for certain scenes the shooting during the night is a must," Sidhwani said.
Producers will have to share shooting locations, timings with police
Mumbai Police Commissioner Hemant Nagrale and members of the state COVID-19 task force were also present at the meeting. Requesting cooperation, the Chief Minister then outlined the role to be played by police in the matter. "Mumbai Police will seek details of the shooting locations and timings. A nodal officer should be appointed to ensure all COVID-19 rules are followed," said Thackeray.
Maharashtra reported over 8K new COVID-19 cases on Sunday
To note, the current COVID-19 situation in Maharashtra is hardly assuring. On Sunday, the state reported 8,172 new COVID-19 cases along with 8,950 more recoveries. Meanwhile, Kerala, the second worst-hit state after Maharashtra, has seen a massive surge, reporting 16,148 new cases. India's total number of cases reached 3,11,06,065 as of Sunday morning, according to the Union Health Ministry.
