As the seriousness of the situation around the world due to COVID-19 outbreaks increases, some cities are considering the emergency measures they will have to take.
With the risk of the city hospital system being overrun, Los Angeles Mayor Garcetti said that the city is looking at all options when it comes to housing the sick patients suffering from coronavirus. This includes empty theaters and Hollywood sound stages.
Garcetti confirmed that some representatives from studios have reached out about the possibility of using soundstage. He also noted that they would be ideal locations since "sound stages have their own ventilation" and "they could be [used to hang] medical equipment."
It is unclear at the moment which studios have reached out, and indeed if the city will need the emergency space at all. In a scenario where such a thing was necessary, all of the major studios (Disney, Fox, Warner Bros., NBCUniversal Pictures, Sony and Paramount Pictures) maintain soundstages around the city. All of these soundstages are currently closed due to the state's work-from-home orders.
L.A. County Department of Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said that Los Angeles has not yet seen a surge in patients similar to the situation in other cities, but that it would be "foolish" to not prepare for the worst.
For more information on COVID-19, along with basic protective measures such as social distancing, please visit the World Health Organization website.
(Via The Hollywood Reporter.)