Earlier today yet another celebrity announced via their social media channels that they had been diagnosed with the COVID-19 coronavirus, as Game of Thrones & The Witcher star Kristofer Hivju confirmed he has contracted the virus. Hivju had recently been cast in the second season of the Netflix series, which suspended production over the weekend and which we now know will undergo a deep cleaning on set after Hivju’s diagnosis. Deadline brings word of the set cleaning efforts being undertaken by Netflix, who announced the news to the crew via an email while also advising self-quarantine for the others.
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“We paused production prior to becoming aware of (the cast member’s diagnosis), but as a further precaution we will be closing production offices and Arborfield immediately and arranging for deep cleaning and disinfection,” Netflix wrote in their email. “This means no one will have access to production offices or Arborfield during that time.”
“We are in the process of contacting those who were in close contact with the relevant individual. However, due to the nature of this production, it is recommended that crew and cast self-quarantine for 14 days, monitor their temperature, and seek medical advice if they experience any symptoms.”
Film and TV studios are struggling to respond to the pandemic. While productions have by and large shut down, some releases are being pushed to digital early, and it seems likely that TV ratings and home streaming numbers will spike as more Americans are quarantined at home with nowhere to go.
Like previous celebrity diagnosis from Tom Hanks and Idris Elba, Hivju made the announcement online and released a statement about the precautions he and his family are taking.
“My familiy and I are self-isolating at home for as long as it takes,” the actor said online. “We are in good health – I only have mild symptoms of a cold. There are people at higher risk for who this virus might be a devastating diagnosis, so I urge all of you to be extremely careful; wash your hands, keep 1.5 meters distance from others, go in quarantine; just do everything you can to stop the virus from spreading. Together we can fight this virus and avert a crisis at our hospitals.”
Netflix’s The Witcher was slated to wrap filming on the second season in August of this year to release sometime in 2021, but obviously this will change things regarding the former and perhaps the later. There’s been no official release date for season 2 set as of yet.
