Film and television productions will be permitted to continue across Ontario despite Toronto and Peel Region entering lockdown as of Nov. 23.

Stringent new regulations including the closure of gyms, restaurants, personal care services and some retail stores will not impact the screen-based production sector, per guidelines issued Friday.

Film and TV production, including all supporting activities such as hair, makeup and wardrobe, are permitted to open provided they operate within the parameters set by Section 21 – Film and Television Industry Health and Safety during COVID-19 guiding document.

The “lockdown” level of the COVID-19 response framework cites three main guidelines for film and TV production: projects must have no studio audiences; hair and makeup personnel must wear the appropriate PPE; and sets must be configured to enable on-set personnel to maintain a physical distance of at least two metres from each other.

Post-production, visual effects and animation studios are also allowed to continue. Cinemas must stay closed, except for drive-in cinemas.

The lockdown will remain in effect for at least 28 days, according to provincial officials, meaning the earliest it would be lifted is Dec. 21.

With numbers increasing across the country, and projections suggesting COVID cases could rise significantly without the implementation of another lockdown, a number of provinces have heightened their COVID restrictions to curb the spread of the virus.

In Manitoba, which entered its own lockdown earlier this month, in-production projects have been permitted to continue, while projects that had not started filming have been forced to postpone production for the duration of the lockdown. That won’t be the case for Ontario’s lockdown measures, and productions that have not yet started will be permitted to commence production while certain regions are in lockdown.

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