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Industry Releases Guidelines for Resumption of Production


The entertainment industry has released a document on how production can resume amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 22-page “white paper” was delivered to both New York Govenor Andrew Cuomo and California Govenor Gavin Newsom as well as the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

“Regular, periodic testing of the cast and crew will be used to mitigate the risk of the spread of COVID-19,” the report said.

“Employers will utilize current effective testing protocols that must be developed in conjunction with, and approved by, the Unions and Guilds. Employers, Unions and Guilds shall rely upon medical experts for advice and guidance. As tests are developed and others become more accurate, the testing protocols shall also change.”

The document also contains dozens of recommendations, especially the need for physical distancing.

“Limiting face-to-face contact with others is the best way to reduce the spread of COVID-19,” the report said. “Cast and crew must practice physical distancing whenever possible. Physical distancing involves maintaining a distance of at least 6 feet from any other person at all times, except when doing so is incompatible with one’s job duties. Cast and crew should avoid congregating in groups. When practical, separate work locations into zones to facilitate physical distancing.”

22 Page White Paper

The white paper was put together by the The Industry-Wide Labor Management Safety Committee Task Force, which is made up of production companies, unions and guilds to provide governments with a set of guidelines to safely resume production.

The task force, comprised of about 50 participants, was put together by the Industry-Wide Labor-Management Safety Committee, a long-established entity that deals with safety and training concerns related to production. The committee includes safety, physical production and labor relations executives from the major studios, as well as union reps from SAG-AFTRA, DGA, the Teamsters and IATSE. It was organized through the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.

We will cover how this affects Axanar in another blog article.

Alec Peters

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