PASS: COVID-19 Testing Still Required for Vaccinated Performers

CHATSWORTH, Calif.—Performers who have been vaccinated for COVID-19 will still be required to test for the virus, but that could change, according to new guidance issued by FSC PASS. PASS has published a Vaccination Resource portal that addresses questions over testing, details new studies regarding transmission, and asks performers to provide feedback via a short anonymous survey.“We know everyone wants to return to pre-pandemic shooting as quickly as possible,” says Ian O’Brien, executive director of PASS. “Our industry has done an exemplary job at preventing COVID on set, and we certainly realize the financial and scheduling burden of two-day COVID testing. We ask that vaccinated performers continue to test for the time being, as we work to evaluate risk with an increasingly vaccinated performer pool.”While the risk of serious illness decreases substantially after a vaccination, the data regarding the potential for a person to carry and transmit the virus after vaccination is still unclear. PASS is also looking at the threat of newly emerging variants, and working to understand actual risk on set.“We need to hear from performers and crew,” says O’Brien. “Right now, we don’t yet know how much of the industry is vaccinated, or planning on getting vaccinated, nor do we know how performers and crew feel about working with unvaccinated people or without a COVID test. The science is important, but our policies also need to reflect the needs of the industry.”PASS’s Vaccination Resource is available here. Performers and crew who wish to fill out the survey can do so directly here.