Two years ago SAG-AFTRA and the JPC entered into the COVID-19 Commercial Production Safety and Testing Protocol Agreement (the "Agreement"), providing for various testing and safety protocols in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic. The term of the Agreement (as amended) has been extended by SAG-AFTRA and the JPC several times, with the most recent extension set to expire April 30, 2023.
Today SAG-AFTRA and the JPC announced the termination of the Agreement, which will now expire on May 11, 2023, concurrent with the date the federal government has identified for the expiration of the Coronavirus public health emergency.
In implementing the termination of this Agreement:
- Projects in production as of May 11, 2023, which had already established a mandatory vaccination policy in Zone A, may continue that policy for the duration of the production.
- Beginning on May 12, 2023 through July 31, 2023, performers working in scenes that require close or intimate contact (e.g., kissing or extensive face-to-face contact; embracing, wrestling and other similarly extensive body contact) or extreme exertion (e.g., dancing or other athletic exertion in a confined indoor space, such as indoor cycling, running on a treadmill) may request COVID antigen self-administered testing for themselves and the other performers with whom they will be working in close or intimate contact or extreme exertion.
- If a Producer wishes to retain any of the COVID safety protocols previously permitted under the Agreement, the Producer must seek separate agreement with SAG-AFTRA and notify the JPC prior to implementation.
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