Television and film production no longer qualifies for UK travel exemption, according to the country’s government website. Those who travel to the UK for production must now self-isolate for a period of 10 days.
Under both the “Television production” and “High-end television production and film” categories, the website now reads: “This job no longer qualifies for an exemption as of 4am Monday 18 January 2021.”
The rules are still a bit different for the UK’s local broadcast channel — those involved in “urgent or essential work” for the BBC do not need to self-isolate, according to the updated guidelines.
One show that could be affected by the new coronavirus travel guidelines is Jason Sudeikis’ excellent Apple TV+ comedy “Ted Lasso,” which shoots in the UK but employs at least a few stars and writers from our side of the pond. Looks like those guys may have gotten in right on time, though — Apple TV+ tweeted on Friday that “production for @TedLasso Season 2 has officially begun!”
The UK is currently under national lockdown orders due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Simply put, that level reads, “Stay at home.” Or, put more broadly on the country’s government website: “Coronavirus (COVID-19) is spreading fast. Do not leave your home unless necessary. One in three people who have the virus have no symptoms, so you could be spreading it without knowing it.”
Here is this morning’s general update, which came at 4 a.m. local time (that’s 11 p.m. on Jan. 17 ET and 8 p.m. on Jan. 17 PT): “All travel corridors to close and you must self-isolate after arriving in the UK, even if you have tested negative. Most people travelling to the UK from abroad need proof of a negative coronavirus (COVID-19) test result. You need to have taken the test in the 3 days before you travel.”
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