The Manitoba government has said that in-production projects are permitted to continue, despite the implementation of heightened pandemic-related restrictions.

Earlier in the week it was announced that the province was moving to the red, critical level on the government’s pandemic response system in a bid to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus. Among the measures announced Tuesday was that all film production should cease for the duration of the enhanced COVID response measures.

The announcement put a number of projects, including CBC’s Burden of Truth (ICF Films, Eagle Vision, eOne), in limbo as the creative industry awaited further details on the fine print of the government’s final order.

That order was released on Wednesday evening, with the government ruling that film and TV projects already in production “may be completed under the existing transmission prevention guidelines of the sector.”

Across the province, screen sector workers – who had argued there was no justification for shutting down production as there have been no COVID-19 cases linked to production work – welcomed the news.

“We are grateful that the Manitoba government has clarified in their Public Order that productions who were in production prior to Nov. 12, 2020 will be allowed to complete their work,” said Eagle Vision partner Kyle Irving in a statement to Playback Daily. “Considering the great success we have had keeping the public and our cast, crew safe from COVID-19 spread, I’m not surprised to see the details of the Order allowing existing productions to continue. We are lucky in Manitoba to have a healthy dialogue and such tremendous support from government.”

While the ruling is positive news for projects that are currently in production, the newly announced guidelines are concrete in the assertion that “no new productions may begin to film” while the province is in the critical response level. The exact duration of the new measures isn’t clear, though Manitoba’s chief provincial public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin said it will likely last four weeks (the equivalent of two incubation periods for the virus).