Academy Bans Attendees Who Test Positive Within 5 Days in Updated Oscars COVID Protocols

Move comes as cases involving BA.2 Omicron have risen 130% in the past week

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The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Friday that people who’ve tested positive for COVID-19 within 5 days won’t be allowed to attend the Oscars on Sunday.

The move comes as cases involving BA.2 Omicron variant in the Los Angeles area have risen 130% in the past week. 734 cases were reported on Thursday, still low from previous pandemic surges.

“Those who tested positive for COVID-19 and are within a zero to five-day window from the date of their first positive test are not permitted to attend under any circumstances,” the Academy said in the letter.

The Academy added: “Those who tested positive for COVID-19 and are within a six to ten-day window from the date of their first positive test are required to provide proof of negative results from two verified PCR, Lucira or Cue Health COVID-19 tests. These tests may not be taken on the same day and must be administered by a verified, medically trained professional.”

Previously, according to the New York Times, performers and presenters will be rigorously tested but will not have to show proof of vaccination. This is because they are considered part of a television production subject to the Return to Work Agreement that governs COVID protocols for all film and TV shoots and which gives productions the option of whether to enforce vaccine mandates.

But the decision to require the vast majority of the 2,500 people who will attend the Oscars to show their vaccine cards is a reversal from reports that the Academy was considering not having any vaccine mandates at all, which received backlash from some Academy members. In addition to the vaccination record, audience members will have to show proof of at least two negative PCR tests taken just prior to the event.

Read the letter in full below:

Dear press member,

Following guidance from our medical consultants and local authorities, we have updated our 94th Oscars COVID protocols for recent positive COVID-19 cases.

Those who tested positive for COVID-19 and are within a zero to five-day window from the date of their first positive test are not permitted to attend under any circumstances.

Those who tested positive for COVID-19 and are within a six to ten-day window from the date of their first positive test are required to provide proof of negative results from two verified PCR, Lucira or Cue Health COVID-19 tests. These tests may not be taken on the same day and must be administered by a verified, medically trained professional.

The ten-day window is strictly determined by the date and time of the first positive test (antigen or PCR) from a printed lab report and is not based on a doctor’s note or start of symptoms. If you tested positive after March 17, 2022 at 1pm PT, you are considered within the ten-day window.

If you are outside the ten-day window (you tested positive before March 17, 2022 at 1pm PT) and have tested positive on your PCR test taken on March 24, you must provide proof of negative results from a medically supervised antigen test taken on March 26 or March 27.

You may use any medically trained professional who can provide documentation of your test results.

In addition, leading up to the 94th Oscars ceremony, the Academy strongly recommends that all press members minimize their COVID-related risks by: (1) avoiding enclosed and crowded spaces and, (2) limiting interactions with people outside of your family, friends and colleagues for an extended time. Social distancing and masking are strongly recommended.

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