Hollywood guilds and studios expand COVID protocols with two modifications

Hollywood’s COVID-19 safety protocols, agreed upon by major studios and entertainment industry associations, have officially been extended until September 30, with two minor modifications.

The latest extension of the agreement accepts the hollywood reporter And made public by the Directors Guild, it will take effect on Saturday after the current contract expires on Friday. The agreement reinstates that when the level of COVID is high, entertainment kits do not allow workers who are not fully vaccinated to partake in self-service meals using shared utensils such as tweezers or spoons. Also, when COVID is high, the deal allows all vehicles carrying cast and crew to operate at full capacity (previously at that time, vehicles were only 75% full). At least everyone in the car must be wearing a mask.

“If any vehicle carries a passenger who is not wearing a face mask (for example, an actor who has makeup applied), passengers must maintain physical distance,” the agreement states. THR On Thursday, it was reported that the contract is to be extended again until September 30.

The COVID “return to work” agreement has been in effect since September 2020 and has been extended several times since then, with occasional revisions. The July 2021 update introduced vaccine guidelines for the first time.

This latest expansion follows an update in early May that included relaxing some requirements in areas such as testing and masks in parts of the United States and Canada with “low” COVID hospitalizations.

The new expansion comes as Omicron’s BA.5 variant continues to spread across the country and Los Angeles has reached a “high” level of COVID community, as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday. according to Los Angeles Times On California’s coronavirus tracker, the state reported 17,182 new cases and 37.1 new deaths last week.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health recently reported three or more confirmed cases of COVID-19 at Mattel in El Segundo, Riot Games in Sawtelle and Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank.

The agreement allows the rules to be tightened when hospital admissions for COVID-19 in the region reach a threshold. “Now, due to recent growth, production at all major manufacturing centers is implementing stronger Part 1 Agreement protocols,” the Directors Guild said in a statement about the latest expansion. “Due to changing circumstances, the agreement offers producers the opportunity to relax protocols in areas with low COVID hospitalizations.