With the aim of getting the entertainment industry back to work safely amid the threat of COVID-19, the Industry-Wide Labor-Management Safety Committee Task Force — whose members include AMPTP, SAG-AFTRA, the Directors Guild, IATSE and the Teamsters — submitted on Monday a white paper to California Governor Gavin Newsom and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, as well as to governments across the country.
This 22-page document offers recommended protocols on how to restart production while minimizing the risk of spreading COVID-19 — effectively giving stakeholders a glimpse at what coronavirus-era production could look like.
Per the general recommendations, all cast and crew should be tested as a condition of employment and should follow protocols in areas such as daily symptom monitoring, social distancing, the use of personal protective equipment and hand hygiene. The task force calls for staggered meal times to avoid large groups and the elimination of buffet-style meals. It instead urges the use of individually wrapped meals and snacks and individually wrapped, disposable utensils.
The white paper introduces the role of an autonomous COVID-19 compliance officer, who would oversee testing, physical distancing, disinfecting and all safety protocols related to COVID-19 on a set.
As to how work is conducted, the document encourages remote meetings whenever possible, as well as the use of technology for remote viewing of video.
It also urges the use of virtual writers rooms. The WGA wasn’t a member of the task force, but the WGAW said in a statement provided to The Hollywood Reporter, “The AMPTP white paper recommends that writers’ rooms should be virtual whenever possible. We agree this is the best protocol for now. We will carefully scrutinize any plans to reopen room and will talk with studios if those plans raise member health and safety concerns.”
(Excerpt) Read more in: The Hollywood Reporter