LOS ANGELES, May 12 (AFP) - California's adult movie industry on Wednesday lifted the filming moratorium it imposed on itself after some of its actors became HIV-positive, getting back to work nearly a month earlier than anticipated.
"Many of the talent who have been on quarantine for the last 30 days can safely return to work, after several batteries of tests (for HIV) were performed," the nonprofit Adult Industry Medical Health Care Foundation (AIM), the organization that provides HIV testing and counseling to sex film workers, said on its website.
After repeated testing, about a third of those performers have been cleared and are free to return to work, said Sharon Mitchell, executive director of AIM.
To contain the outbreak, several other actors who had worked directly with the HIV-positive performers, or with others who had, remain on the quarantine list until testing clears them, as well.
But the measures were being undermined, as some producers and performers had already returned to work, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The current scare in the industry, much of which is based in the San Fernando Valley, began four weeks ago, after an actor whose stage name is Darren James tested positive for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
Subsequently, three actresses who had worked with him were also found to be HIV-positive, as was a transsexual performer unrelated to the other cases.
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