Talk show hosts James Corden, Jimmy Kimmel sent packing after surge in coronavirus cases

James Corden and Jimmy Kimmel are taking their late night talk shows back home due to a surge in coronavirus cases in the Los Angeles area that has brought calls for production on all films and TV shows to be halted indefinitely.

Corden tweeted on Monday that he was headed back to his garage to film The Late Late Show and would remain there “until it’s safe to return to our studio.”

Kimmel has also decided to film Jimmy Kimmel Live!  remotely from home, ABC television said.

The decisions follow appeals by the actors union SAG-AFTRA and Hollywood producers for production to be suspended on all TV and film sets until more hospital beds become available to treat COVID-19 patients as well as those with other illnesses.

“Patients are dying in ambulances waiting for treatment because hospital emergency rooms are overwhelmed. This is not a safe environment for in-person production right now,” Gabrielle Carteris, the president of SAG-AFTRA, said in a joint statement issued on Sunday.

Despite a stringent shutdown that includes gyms, hair salons and restaurants, Los Angeles County is currently a major hot spot in the coronavirus crisis with one person dying every 10 minutes, according to local health officials.