Film bodies to halt shooting of movies, TV shows amid coronavirus scare

In the wake of novel coronavirus outbreak, top film bodies of India chaired a meeting on Sunday and decided to halt shooting of entertainment products from March 19 to 31.

New Delhi [India], Mar 15 : In the wake of novel coronavirus outbreak, several prominent film bodies of India chaired a meeting on Sunday and decided to halt shooting of entertainment products from March 19 to 31.

The meeting included top entertainment bodies like Indian Motion Pictures Producers' Association (IMPPA), Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE), Indian Film & Television Directors' Association (IFTDA), Western India Film Producers' Association (WIFPA), and Indian Film and TV Producers Council (IFPTC).

"We stand by the concerns and follow the instructions of the Government," read a joint official statement.

This comes three days after the World Health Orgsation (WHO) announced coronavirus as a global pandemic.

In the wake of spurt in cases of coronavirus across the country, the Central Government on Saturday decided to treat the deadly virus as a "notified disaster".

As of Sunday, the total cases of coronavirus reported in India is 107, according to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Earlier in the week, makers of Akshay Kumar's cop-action thriller 'Sooryavanshi' postponed the release of the film citing health reasons amid the coronavirus outbreak.

( With inputs from ANI )