Starz is to close its Santa Monica office for a couple of days as a result of a Covid-19 outbreak – becoming the latest Hollywood business to have to deal with rising numbers.
The Outlander and BFM broadcaster will close its office on 1647 Stewart Street in LA after “several” employees recently tested positive for the virus.
The company sent a note to staff this morning, seen by Deadline, outlining the steps. “We are therefore taking the following steps in accordance with our usual protocols: requesting that you work from home today and tomorrow and not come into the office until we have notified you that you may return; conducting contact tracing and notifying all individuals who have been in close contact with employees who have tested positive for Covid-19; and implementing sanitizing and deep cleaning protocols.”
Deadline understands that Starz backer Lionsgate’s office at 2700 Colorado Avenue has also closed for a couple of days ahead of the holidays for the same reason with staff working from home.
Last week, WME’s headquarters in Beverly Hills were closed on Wednesday and the agency switched to working remotely for the rest of the week after some employees tested positive.
CNN also closed all of its offices to employees who are not required to be there to do their jobs/ President Jeff Zucker revealed the new policy in a memo to employees on Saturday – a move that also applies to Turner Sports and WarnerMedia Studios.
It comes as the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health reported nine new deaths from Covid-19 yesterday as well as 3,512 new positive cases.