In case you missed it last week given the 4th of July holiday, film and TV productions shot in Los Angeles now require all crew members to wear masks indoors.
LA County’s public health officer Barbara Ferrer made the announcement on Thursday and said it was a result of increasing hospitalizations due to COVID-19. The new safety protocols went into immediate effect.
“With new hospital admissions reaching more than 8 per week per 100,000 population, [LA County] will resume indoor masking requirements, along with several other safety measures,” said Ferrer.
That seven-day statistic marks the threshold for Hollywood’s “Escalation Trigger” requiring film and TV crew members to wear masks indoors — something that was agreed upon in past return-to-work agreements detailing safety protocols. The latest agreement is set to expire on July 15.
“This industry has worked closely with their labor partners to institute Covid safety measures that create safety for all workers while being able to continue the important work,” added Ferrer. “We do applaud them along with many other businesses that are taking advantage of the many tools that are available to keep workers safe.”
Indeed, though we may be old pros at this pandemic business by now, this thing is far from over and it remains important to be vigilant regarding masks, as a COVID outbreak can bring a production to its knees and put crew members and their families at risk in addition to costing financiers millions of dollars.
