Netflix will require cast and production crew to be vaccinated against COVID-19

The status of the COVID-19 pandemic remains alarming even in countries where vaccination has already taken place. So much so that Netflix decided to enforce health protocols and began requiring that all actors and even people on the production staff be immunized to prevent new cases from emerging during filming.

The company thus becomes the first studio to make such demands in Hollywood and follows an agreement reached between companies and unions that agreed to new vaccination policies, which included the possibility of making vaccination mandatory. In this case, only those representatives and employees who have direct contact with representatives – the so-called zone A – will have to be vaccinated. And the same will not be required of those who work in areas B, C and D, i.e., those who are involved in other sectors of production.

In addition, workers will need to undergo frequent testing to try to identify and isolate COVID cases as soon as they arise. This is all due to the advancement of the Delta variant in the US, which recently led to Los Angeles being asked again to use masks both indoors and commercially, including among those who have been vaccinated.

Thus, decisions like Netflix come to promote the health safety of its film sets, and above all as a means to prevent the emergence of new cases that could force a moratorium on filming, as has happened with many productions for over a year and a half. Epidemic – as with Bridgerton, whose recordings were twice interrupted due to positive cases in the cast.

Interestingly, the same decision between studios and unions that allowed the requirement to vaccinate actors also eased some other security measures within Hollywood. This includes the ability for vaccinated people to move outdoors without a mask and to share the indoor space during meals – although there is a new enhanced safety protocol in this case.

Source: diverse