Deadline has reported that Netflix recently informed production teams that the studio will be requiring COVID vaccinations for cast and crew working within “Zone A,” making them the first major Hollywood studio to implement mandated vaccinations for their U.S. productions.
This new Return-to-Work protocol comes a week after the Hollywood unions and studios gave producers the power to update their policies for casts and crew in “Zone A.” This zone encompasses the main cast and crew, as well as any crew members who work closely with them. It was designed to be a controlled bubble encasing those deemed vulnerable by production. The tentative agreement made with SAG-AFTRA, DGA, IATSE, Teamsters, and AMPTP will remain in effect until September 30.
SAG-AFTRA previously implemented production procedures that required productions to engage in “interactive processes” with consideration to ADA and religious accommodations. According to Deadline’s sources, the studio aims to keep exceptions rare, including medical, religious, and age-related reasons, in addition to pre-existing deals made for projects already in production.
More studios are expected to follow Netflix’s lead as COVID-19 cases, fueled by the Delta Variant, continue to rise in the United States among the unvaccinated, with substantial to high case numbers located in prime filming locations like Los Angeles and Atlanta. The LA County Department of Public Health has also updated its guidelines for productions filming in the county, in accordance with the CDC’s updated masking policies.
Last week, production for Starz’s Gaslit series, which was filming in Los Angeles, was brought to a halt when actor and activist Sean Penn refused to return to set until vaccinations are made mandatory for the production’s cast and crew.
Netflix’s decision does not, however, affect those outside of “Zone A” or productions outside of the United States. Recently, the studio’s UK-based Bridgerton was shut down for an unspecified period of time following a positive COVID test. It is currently unknown when the cast will return to set for the second season. As the Delta variant and other COVID-19 variants continue to emerge, the industry entertainment will be forced to revisit the protocols they are operating under.
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