The 94th Academy Awards, scheduled to be held on March 27, will require all the audience members, including nominees, to present proof of vaccination and at least two negative PCR tests, the New York Times has reported.
However, while the performers and presenters will be subject to rigorous testing, they are not required to show proof of vaccination.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which curates the Oscars, has not yet released an official statement on this policy.
It is notable that The Hollywood Reporter recently reported that the Academy was planning to not make vaccination mandatory for any of the guests at this year’s Oscars. The news was met with much criticism on social media.
The Academy’s Covid-19 policy, as reported by NYT, is in line with the return-to-work agreement between the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers and entertainment unions. The agreement gives production companies (the Academy, in this instance) the option to mandate vaccinations for Zone A – the production’s cast and the crew working closest with the actors – but it is not a requirement. Different testing and social distancing requirements are specified depending on how closely the cast and crew need to work together.
The 94th edition of the Oscars will also observe social distancing at the venue, with a total of only 2,500 nominees and guests invited even though the Dolby Theatre can seat over 3,300 people. Masking requirements will vary across the theatre where the audience is seated, depending on the nature of the space. For instance, while the audience in the orchestra and parterre sections will not be required to wear masks, those in the mezzanine might, since it is a tightly packed space. The Academy is said to be consulting with experts to finalise these requirements.
The more lenient Covid-19 norms at the Oscars comes at a time when Los Angeles county has witnessed a decline in the number of daily cases. The cases in the county have reportedly dropped by 54% since February 1. Over the last week, LA county reported an average of 4,100 daily cases, marking a 77% reduction from about two weeks ago.
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Recently, organisers of the Coachella music festival in California announced that they were doing away with masking, testing, and vaccination requirements at this year’s edition, noting, however, that the policies were subject to change.
The Academy announced the nominees for this year’s Oscars in 23 categories, earlier this month. Netflix’s The Power of the Dog leads the nominations with 12 nods, while Dune follows with 10. Both films have a shot at the Best Picture Oscar. Also, Writing with Fire, which revolves around a team of reporters who launch India’s sole Dalit women-run newspaper in a media landscape dominated by men, became the first Indian documentary feature to be nominated for an Oscar.