Italian cinemas will be permitted to open at full capacity from Monday, October 11 following a new government ruling.  The new rules, which also apply to theatres, museums and concert halls, will require proof of vaccination and mask-wearing from attendees and apply to all regions labelled as white – which signifies that Covid is under control. Currently all regions in Italy are white, with none labelled yellow (at risk) or red (full lockdown required), although this will be reviewed on Monday.

GENEVA –  The World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday called on people to get coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccines, saying 99 percent of Covid-19 deaths are among unvaccinated people.

Every Saturday, Zhang Xinsheng travels two hours for a movie date with friends, navigating Beijing’s confusing subway system with his white cane and a speaking map that screams directions on his mobile phone.

2ND UPDATE with more details and reaction, 9:17 PM:: Mandatory Covid-19 vaccinations on film and TV productions now will be allowed, on a restricted basis, under a new agreement reached Monday between Hollywood’s unions and the major companies. The new protocols, they said in a joint statement, will give producers “the option to implement mandatory vaccination policies for casts and crew in Zone A on a production-by-production basis.” Zone A, where unmasked actors work, is the most restrictive of the safe work zones on sets.

EXCLUSIVE: Covid-19 vaccinations of casts and crews will not be mandatory on film and TV productions under the industry’s newly renegotiated return-to-work protocols, which now extend to June 30. “To mandate at this point may be premature,” a source told Deadline. “That subject has been skirted.”

A look beyond the doom and gloom of filmmaking during the pandemic reveals industry renewal in the making. True to form, several positive takeaways from last week’s Screen Daily / KFTV industry shoptalk  delivered a welcome booster shot for filmmakers continuing to take unprecedented measures to keep cameras rolling on live action in many film hubs worldwide.