Netflix In Lockdown Over Possible Coronavirus Case; LA Staff Recommend To Work From Home
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As nations and the entertainment industry take dramatic precautions over the spreading coronavirus, Netflix may have been hit with by a potential inflection here in Los Angeles.
An employee in the Sunset Blvd offices of the streamer looks “likely” to have COVID-19, I’ve learned. The individual was identified in the past day after coming in close contact with a confirmed case. That confirmed case is the spouse of a Netflix staffer.
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Though a number of employees were already out of office and working from home in the last week, the Reed Hastings-run company has emptied out one of its Sunset Blvd buildings in immediate response to around 1000 employees being at varying degrees of risk, Additionally, in what is clearly becoming the norm in Hollywood and around the world, City of Angels staffers have been recommended to absolutely work from home until further notice.
The venue in question is the 14-story Icon building that directly overlooks Sunset and houses many of Netflix’s executive offices. Right now, the 5800 block of Sunset structure is undergoing a deep cleaning that is expected to take near on a week, I’m told.
Netflix had no comment when contacted by Deadline about the situation.
Today has already seen the upcoming Ryan Murphy directed Netflix feature The Prom suspend production over COVID-19 concerns, with more projects almost certain to come to a halt as agencies, studios, networks and production companies increasingly send staff home or hit the brakes. As of right now, I hear that the multi-venue Dave Chappele, Ali Wong, Jerry Seinfeld, Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin and more Netflix Is A Joke is still a go for its scheduled April 27 – May 3 dates.
At the same time, I also hear that the streamer is keeping a very watchful eye on the bouncing ball of the novel coronavirus. Just today, Disneyland and Universal Studios said they were shutting their doors for several weeks and yesterday Gov. Gavin Newsom declared that he didn’t think any gatherings of more than 250 people were a wise plan.
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