After public outrage, the city of Los Angeles halted a plan to close the Union Station COVID-19 testing kiosk on Tuesday for a production crew to shoot a remake of the 1999 film, She’s All That.
The city had ordered the location to shutter, even though 504 people were signed up to be tested at the site.
Shortly after midnight, Mayor Eric Garcetti announced the reversal on Twitter: “Working with @LAFD, @Curative & @MetroLosAngeles, my team has worked to reopen testing at Union Station on Tuesday. The 504 Angelenos who were scheduled for a test there can visit the kiosk as originally planned or any of the other 14 City sites, where we offer 38K tests daily.”
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The Los Angeles Times reported a volunteer from a Koreatown advocacy group was one of hundreds of people who received a cancellation email from Curative, the largest public testing company in the city.
The advocacy group shared the email on Twitter Monday and started to receive reactions online.
“In the middle of a horrible and terrifying COVID spike, LA just cancelled all of its Dec 1 appointments at Union Station (one of the only transit-accessible facilities) with less than 24hrs notice because of A FILM SHOOT!! @MayorOfLA @metrolosangeles @lapublichealth WTF???!!???” the group tweeted.
Experts say testing sites near public transportation hubs are especially important for low-income residents who don’t have cars.
Since the pandemic started, Los Angeles County has reported over 408,000 confirmed coronavirus cases, according to data from the L.A. County Department of Public Health.
Miramax was originally granted a permit to film scenes both inside and outside of the historic railway station, with a cast and crew of up to 170 people.
The reboot of the film will be titled He’s All That and stars Tik Tok influencer Addison Rae and Cobra Kai’s Tanner Buchanan.
