Photo Credit: Will Smith/Instagram
In the ongoing debate about whether to open or not to open comes the first production studio covid-19 outbreak that took place with Will Smith and Jada’s production company. The L.A. County health department’s website shared that there were at least 10 employees that tested positive last week.
Reps for the production company, Westbrook Inc stated, “We received 10 positive tests and the crew members quarantined and remain in quarantine. All 10 people were retested and have received negative results. We will continue to follow all official guidelines and safety protocols.” Production has been called to a standstill out of safety precautions. The company insists that the staff that tested positive showed no signs of infection at the time of the reporting.
Westbrook is currently working on a Fresh Prince of Bel-Air reboot inspired by a recent viral trailer made summer 2019 by cinematographer Morgan Cooper similarly titled Bel-Air. Cooper was even called in to co-create the production with Chris Collins as executive producer and showrunner. He’s previously worked on The Wire, Sons of Anarchy and The Sopranos to name a few.
As for what production Westbrook was working on, the studio did not say. They also stopped using Rapid Reliable Testing, the company that conducted the initial and follow up tests according to sources close to situation. The President of Rapid Reliable Testing, Anthony Capone did an interview Friday defending the reliability of his tests saying they only used nasopharyngeal or mid-turbinate nasal swabs, and only relies on molecular tests versus the quicker antigen tests that can be less reliable.
Capone said it’s normal for people to test negative after the virus immediately entered their body and that it didn’t indicate a bad test. The firm says they service 15-20 entertainment studios and deliver to a total of 10 labs and have had no issue with any other studio. “We have our (quality assurance) process,” he said. “We have not found any irregularities in the studio space in California.”
Our prayers are with the staff and families of those who tested positive and hopefully this is a contained incident that doesn’t lead to any further spread.
