U.K. Relaxes COVID Production Protocols: Supervisors, Social Distancing Are Out, Buffets Are Back (EXCLUSIVE)
variety.comK.J. Yossman The British Film Commission (BFC) has issued new guidance on COVID production protocols and no doubt the U.K. screen industry will breathe a sigh of relief.The overhauled guidance, which was drafted in consultation with the industry and is based on the U.K.
government’s “Living with COVID-19” published strategy, has done away with the mandates for COVID supervisors, social distancing, perspex screens and intensive cleaning as well as lifting the ban on craft service buffets.However, the updated guidance still recommends a number of COVID-safe practices, including the voluntary implementation of a COVID testing program, provision of hygiene facilities such as hand-washing stations and sanitizer, a daily symptom check for the entire production and a symptom response plan. “Be aware that the whole production may be halted for group testing if a person who has wide contact with cast and crew tests positive for COVID-19,” the guidance still warns. “As the world learns to live with COVID-19, the BFC’s Working Safely During COVID-19 in Film and High-end TV Drama Production guidance remains an essential tool in keeping crew and cast safe and productions working,” said Adrian Wootton OBE, chief executive of the British Film Commission. “This guidance has been instrumental in enabling our sector to continue working throughout the pandemic.
Its practices are established and observed, and in many cases voluntarily exceeded, by studios and productions, who all seek to keep the safety, health and mental wellbeing of cast, crew and community a key priority.
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