The City of Los Angeles reopened a COVID-19 testing site in Union Station, a major transportation hub, on Tuesday after receiving backlash for temporarily shutting it down to film the new “She’s All That” remake, starring Addison Rae.
“Working with @LAFD, @Curative & @MetroLosAngeles, my team has worked to reopen testing at Union Station on Tuesday,” Mayor Eric Garcetti tweeted. “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.”
According to The Los Angeles Times, the film studio Miramax was previously granted a permit to film at Union Station on Tuesday, canceling any appointments made by LA residents to get tested for coronavirus there.
Philip Sokoloski, a spokesman for FilmLA, told the outlet that the cast and crew, consisting of about 170 people total, were set to film inside and outside of the station amid the ongoing pandemic.
The mayor’s office was reportedly unaware that a testing site, amid the COVID-19 spike in Los Angeles, had been shut down due to a movie permit.
Several people took to social media to slam the decision.
Writer Bridget Phetasy tweeted, “COVID-19 is a rapidly escalating emergency that we should take very seriously but also we are shutting down a busy test site last minute in downtown LA for a remake of a s—y movie.”
Another person wrote, “the union station covid testing site getting shut down to film the addison rae remake of she’s all that might be the point that capitalism finally breaks my brain.”
In September, it was announced that Rae, 20, will be starring in a gender role reversal reboot of the classic 1999 film, “She’s All That.”
Meanwhile, Rae’s rumored boyfriend Bryce Hall was slammed earlier this year when he threw a massive 21st birthday party in the middle of the pandemic.
The TikTok star has not commented on the controversy on her social media platforms.
A rep for Miramax did not immediately return our request for comment.
