Service + Solidarity Spotlight: Entertainment Unions and Producers Agree to Changes to COVID-19 Protocols

Working people across the United States have stepped up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our regular Service + Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.

With the ongoing goal of keeping casts, crews and all set workers safe, the Directors Guild of America (DGA), Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), Teamsters (IBT) and the Basic Crafts, and SAG-AFTRA, together with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), announced last week they have a tentative agreement on adjustments to the COVID-19 Safety Agreement reflecting vaccines and other scientific advances.

The modifications center on workplace practices for fully vaccinated cast and crew, including changes to outdoor masking requirements and updated mealtime protocols. Additional changes, such as adjustments to testing frequency, are included for certain areas in the United States and Canada where COVID-19 incidence is, and remains, very low.