This year's Oscars ceremony will not require
in-person attendees to
provide proof of vaccination against Covid. After a 2021 ceremony that saw
the Academy Awards downsize to
a smaller gathering
at Los Angeles' Union Station, the Oscars will return to its
traditional setting
in the Dolby Theatre on Hollywood
Boulevard for its
upcoming ceremony on March 27. It
is not yet known if
the audience size
might be reduced
this year.
Last year's ceremony featured strict
Covid testing and masking policies for in-person attendees, in accordance with health and safety
protocols. In the year since vaccines against the virus have become widely available to the general public.
Guidelines encouraging proof
of vaccination have become commonplace for large-scale events,
especially in Los Angeles.
Although the Academy will
suggest attendees be vaccinated, the 2022 Oscars ceremony will
also require attendees to be tested
prior to attending, with unvaccinated guests having additional and more stringent testing requirements.
Under this rule, the Academy
is technically complying with Los
Angeles County's policy on "indoor mega-events", which require
either full vaccination status or
day-of negative COVID-19 tests to
all attendees ages 2 and older.
However, it should be noted
that other awards events this season, such as the Screen Actors
Guild and Critics Choice Association, are still requiring attendees
to provide proof of vaccination for
their ceremonies.
L.A. County is still some time
away from lifting its indoor mask
mandate. On Tuesday, public
health director Barbara Ferrer indicated barring extremely low
case levels, the earliest time that
masks requirements would likely
be reversed is late April, well after
the Academy Awards' March ceremony date.
The Academy has yet to release an official Covid policy for
its upcoming ceremony. Reports
indicate that the Academy may
have elected to take a less strict
position on vaccination status as
a no-entry policy could have prevented some unvaccinated nominees or presenters from attending
the ceremony. (IANS)
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